So a number of ideas have been working their way through my thought processes. One is the morning and evening routine of opening and closing the chicken coop door. So an automatic door is on the list.
The start of this project will be using a couple of timers and switches, but some sort of daylight sensing will be a longer term option. The Arduino board seems to be the option to go with.
I think this might be a good starting point. Since I have ethernet connectivity along with a wireless access point in the chicken coop now to handle the chicken cameras, it seems a logical next step to add the Arduino into the chicken house to work with the door, maybe add some remote control of the door, perhaps some light controls, and maybe some environmental monitoring. With the RFID, one can’t help but wonder about tracking the hens in and out of the coop or nest boxes…
And would twinkle lights distract the hawks from zeroing in on the unsuspecting hen? Feathers flew just today as a Red Tail Hawk took aim on one of the Barred Rock hens. The hen survived, but lost lots of feathers in the process.
Since the garden is adjacent to the chicken coop, it would be a simple matter to tie in the automation to the garden and green house to monitor moisture levels, automate the watering, and perhaps vent the greenhouse.
The mind wanders….
Well, as always, more ideas than ability to get done, but we will keep plugging along.
Check out our youtube channel Home Chickens on YouTube for some of the video action from the chicken coop.
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