Cameras in the coop

[630004]

So we put an automatic chicken door (Pullet Shut) but had a few incidents of not everyone making it home. The stragglers would rest on the chicken ramp and I would have to grab them, open the door and then lock them in.

Quick solution was up putting a Ring Stickup Cam inside the coop and outside. They work great, but the outside camera would end up frosting over. I ended up 3D printing a camera-hat to stop the camera from fogging and keeping the rain off the lens.

Right now the chickens make it about a week without needing any attention (40 lb feeder, 10 gallon water), automatic coop door. My goal is to make them as autonomous as possible. Next step is to figure out egg counting and egg laying. I was thinking of going with a roll-away egg design (see outside picture for nest boxes) and hooking that up with a sensor, so I can determine when a chicken has laid an egg. The next step after that would be figuring out who laid the egg, but it's still early days

Has anyone had much experience with roll-away egg boxes? I need to retrofit an existing coop (see picture)

Thanks!

Quick close up of the camera hat. Works great for keeping the image clear.

 

[STACEYH]

My cameras never fog up. Mine have been up for 8 years. Are you sure you have indoor/ outdoor cams?

 

[630004]

Yup. Its pretty common. I have had it happen with Arlo and Ring cammeras. Trick is to shield them somehow (either under an eve, cover etc)

 

[STACEYH]

Wow, Mine have never had this issue. I even have one sitting on a post with no cover. I hope I didn't jinx it lol. I am glad you figured out how to do it.

 

[630004]

I think a lot of it depends on your weather as well. Seattle gets pretty rainy

 

[STACEYH]

I would say average here on rain not even getting snow this year but we do get tornadoes and huge winds with hail. I am sure you are right though you all do get more rain and snow.

 

[DoveChick09]

So we put an automatic chicken door (Pullet Shut) but had a few incidents of not everyone making it home. The stragglers would rest on the chicken ramp and I would have to grab them, open the door and then lock them in.

Quick solution was up putting a Ring Stickup Cam inside the coop and outside. They work great, but the outside camera would end up frosting over. I ended up 3D printing a camera-hat to stop the camera from fogging and keeping the rain off the lens.

Right now the chickens make it about a week without needing any attention (40 lb feeder, 10 gallon water), automatic coop door. My goal is to make them as autonomous as possible. Next step is to figure out egg counting and egg laying. I was thinking of going with a roll-away egg design (see outside picture for nest boxes) and hooking that up with a sensor, so I can determine when a chicken has laid an egg. The next step after that would be figuring out who laid the egg, but it's still early days

Has anyone had much experience with roll-away egg boxes? I need to retrofit an existing coop (see picture)

Thanks!


View attachment 2937159

Quick close up of the camera hat. Works great for keeping the image clear.

View attachment 2937168

View attachment 2937169

Can I ask how far away your cameras are from your WiFi point? I'm not sure if the stick will reach ours and I don't want to waste the money. TIA

 

[rosemarythyme]

Can I ask how far away your cameras are from your WiFi point? I'm not sure if the stick will reach ours and I don't want to waste the money. TIA

Dunno about OP, but mine's maybe... 125 feet away? You could also consider a booster if you need to relay it further, but I'm not sure what's the recommended limit as far as distance without boosting.

 

[630004]

Can I ask how far away your cameras are from your WiFi point? I'm not sure if the stick will reach ours and I don't want to waste the money. TIA

A lot of things will affect your signal (height from ground, stuff in between, band etc)

For me, the coop is 155 feet from the closet access point. I have an Asus ZenWifi Mesh network running 2.4 and 5 GHz networks. The cameras are configured to use the 2.4 network (further range).

The simplest fix for most people is to put your access point as high as you can and with the minimal amount of obstructions between it.

Camera 1: Ring Stickup cam mounted in ceiling of coop

Camera 2: Ring stickup cam under staircase

Here you can see the distance from the access point to the coop (155 feet)