Yes. We used to have these. And i turned it to most conservative twighlight.
It worked most of the times, until in winter, twice, some chickens were locked out. First time I saw it in time. Second time I only found feathers the next morning and one chicken less in the coop.
While on an especially cloudy (snowy) evenings, the door would be open when it was almost pitch dark out there and I caught a fox near already.
"The Real World" is just messier than a mathematical representation can be.
I use https://sunclock.net/ and have built a watchface like that for my fitbit like that. The mathematical model is perfect as guidance. But it's not reliable enough to bet the lives of my chickens on it.
It worked most of the times, until in winter, twice, some chickens were locked out. First time I saw it in time. Second time I only found feathers the next morning and one chicken less in the coop.
While on an especially cloudy (snowy) evenings, the door would be open when it was almost pitch dark out there and I caught a fox near already.
"The Real World" is just messier than a mathematical representation can be. I use https://sunclock.net/ and have built a watchface like that for my fitbit like that. The mathematical model is perfect as guidance. But it's not reliable enough to bet the lives of my chickens on it.