Chicken Coop Camera System

[SunshineGal]

Afternoon everyone! I was just wondering what camera system you use in your coops. I hope to sometime soon get cameras hooked up inside and outside the coop. I am hoping for something I could connect to my phone so that if I'm away from home I could check how everything is. If anyone knows anything about a camera system that is decently affordable or have any ideas it will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Also, the app is easy to use. I can check on my girls 24/7. The cameras require an outlet. Amazon has them for on a limited deal 2 for $44.99.

 

[SunshineGal]

Afternoon everyone! I was just wondering what camera system you use in your coops. I hope to sometime soon get cameras hooked up inside and outside the coop. I am hoping for something I could connect to my phone so that if I'm away from home I could check how everything is. If anyone knows anything about a camera system that is decently affordable or have any ideas it will be greatly appreciated! Th!

Those are refurbished - sorry. New is around $65 for two.

 

[LovePBandJ]

I use Wyze cameras. I believe they've come out with a wireless version but my coop is wired so I use the plug-in version. I bought 4 cameras for under $100 dollars. I did have to get a better router to get the wifi signal out to the coop. My coop is about 100 feet from the router location in the house.
I can check on the birds whenever I need. When on vacation, I actually logged into the coop cam one night to talk my nephew through getting a broody out of the nest during nightly lock up and head count. You can speak through the cameras too.

Does the Wyze system require a subscription?

 

[DobieLover]

Does the Wyze system require a subscription?

No

 

[Mouthpear]

Afternoon everyone! I was just wondering what camera system you use in your coops. I hope to sometime soon get cameras hooked up inside and outside the coop. I am hoping for something I could connect to my phone so that if I'm away from home I could check how everything is. If anyone knows anything about a camera system that is decently affordable or have any ideas it will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

If you have or use the ewelink app you can use an (1) old smart phone as a camera. Pay only $9.99 once a year and you can hook up up to 5 phones. Recording is possible and saved to the phone on loop recording. Basically like all those cheap cameras that you have to pay for cloud storage but let you save to SD card. Just no cloud storage.

Mounting is easy. Go get a cheap selfie stick head $4.99 you can mount almost anywhere or flexible desk gooseneck mount. $13.49 or Flexible around the neck mount can be wrapped almost anywhere. Cheap at $9.33. Hell even some tape and free paint stick from lowes. A bicycle/motorcycle phone mount on some easily heat bent pvc can make a great semi adjustable mounting option. This is an AWESOME option, great instruction.

The biggest thing to worry about is corrosion. Some hot glue at connection points can help with that.

PS you can also use regular smart home cameras through ewelink. I think they do not count in the 5 that are included with annual subscription. They are just like any other device like smart switches or sensors.

 

[Mouthpear]

No

That's not completely honest. If all you do is record to the SD card, then no you don't "require" subscription. And most of the time these type of cameras will not let you download the video over wifi. You have to go pull the card. They do that on purpose so if you want to save and playback recordings you need a subscription. Just like all the other cameras that are NOT hooked up directly to a DVR or NVR.

 

[Dreamzchaser]

That's not completely honest. If all you do is record to the SD card, then no you don't "require" subscription. And most of the time these type of cameras will not let you download the video over wifi. You have to go pull the card. They do that on purpose so if you want to save and playback recordings you need a subscription. Just like all the other cameras that are NOT hooked up directly to a DVR or NVR.

I have 5 Wyze v3 outside. 3 in the run and 2 inside the coop. I do not pay subscription nor have an SD card on the ones on the run. I do not need to know what happened but what happens at the very moment. I can turn the speaker on and talk to my girls. Well, the roo is always in front of the camera, I think he likes selfies! Nevertheless, I can take small videos and download them right to my phone from the app as well as pictures. No subscription needed unless you want to know about a past event. I honestly do not care about what killed any of my girls,all I want is to see if they are in, the door closed at night, is there any movement inside the run, any movement outside the run, I check these cameras constantly if I am away and even at home eary morning and throughout the evenings. I am lucky that the Lord wakes me and prompts me if I need to check the cameras throughout the night. It has happened and I come right out. I have had Ring and Wyze for 3yrs now. I only pay for Ring. I only have 1 Wireless Ring cam out there and barely use it. I used it when one of my girls was sitting to hatch. Sure enough, got prompted and heard the chirps. The Ring cam was inside the nesting box, talk about VIP seating,lol I think I will bring it around the house for better use. In the back of the house I also have a Wyze v3 that I can see most of the perimeter around the coop and run all the way back to the duckies pen entrance.

Old picture I took but I can zoom and see way out there (+- 40ft)

I run 2 heavy construction extension cords from the back window of my pantry to the coop and run. In winter, I use a 3 spliter for the heated waterers in the run and the other one to the coop for heated plates one on each side of the roosting bar.


Here is one I just took from app on cell. I am in bed,lol

 

[Mouthpear]

I have 5 Wyze v3 outside. 3 in the run and 2 inside the coop. I do not pay subscription nor have an SD card on the ones on the run. I do not need to know what happened but what happens at the very moment. I can turn the speaker on and talk to my girls. Well, the roo is always in front of the camera, I think he likes selfies! Nevertheless, I can take small videos and download them right to my phone from the app as well as pictures. No subscription needed unless you want to know about a past event. I honestly do not care about what killed any of my girls,all I want is to see if they are in, the door closed at night, is there any movement inside the run, any movement outside the run, I check these cameras constantly if I am away and even at home eary morning and throughout the evenings. I am lucky that the Lord wakes me and prompts me if I need to check the cameras throughout the night. It has happened and I come right out. I have had Ring and Wyze for 3yrs now. I only pay for Ring. I only have 1 Wireless Ring cam out there and barely use it. I used it when one of my girls was sitting to hatch. Sure enough, got prompted and heard the chirps. The Ring cam was inside the nesting box, talk about VIP seating,lol I think I will bring it around the house for better use. In the back of the house I also have a Wyze v3 that I can see most of the perimeter around the coop and run all the way back to the duckies pen entrance.
View attachment 3214174
Old picture I took but I can zoom and see way out there (+- 40ft)

I run 2 heavy construction extension cords from the back window of my pantry to the coop and run. In winter, I use a 3 spliter for the heated waterers in the run and the other one to the coop for heated plates one on each side of the roosting bar.


Here is one I just took from app on cell. I am in bed,lol
View attachment 3214183

Well most people actually WANT to see a past event. Why? To know what actually happened. Why is that the reason the majority of people want a camera? Not just to see and verify what happened but to know where they might fix areas or improvements.

Also to why the chicken feed is disappearing so fast. Turns out rats/mice are coming in at night.

Or in my case I found that it was vagrants that camp in the vacant house n lot right behind me. Found out it was two men who came in the back locked gate and went to my coop and murdered my roo and took 2 hens and killed the rest. If I didn't see that PAST EVENT I would be still thinking it was dogs. All the while trying to figure out how the the dogs got passed all the latched gates on the run and opened a latched coop.

So good for you that you don't care what happened to them. Most of the rest of us do.

BTW how did you just get notified of just the hatching? Or did it go off every time the hen moved?

 

[Dreamzchaser]

So good for you that you don't care what happened to them. Most of the rest of us do.

BTW how did you just get notified of just the hatching? Or did it go off every time the hen moved?

I do care about my chicken's more than anyone thinks. I am retired, therefore I check around everything and make sure I do not leave anything out for rats. That is the reason I am in this group. To learn and apply from other's experiences.

About the hatching? You will not believe it but I have an awesome God,who is also my best friend. Let me tell you;

I was thinking from what everyone said of 21 days. I candled the eggs every 7 days. So here I am on Saturday July 2nd inside the house and was listening to worship music. The song "10 million times" from Hillsong United came on. I stopped and began singing and praising Him for allowing me to see the majesty and beauty of His creation and for letting me hear it speak to me everyday. I thanked Him for allowing me to see my Lil'Mama finally become a mother of peeps just as He created her to do. My cell phone was charging and the old man was outside hammering by the chickens to fix a small leak on their roof. God Himself prompted me to get my cell and instead of checking my Wyze, I opened my ring app. So I looked, but herd the chirps. In awe I stopped the music to make sure I was not going crazy and sure enough I heard it again. I praised God and ran outside like a tornado. I went outside and said, "I heard chirps, I heard chirps!" I went to her and told Lil'Mama, I am so proud of you, can mama peak under you?" So, I did and 2 were out, kind of wet still. It was the most wonderful moment of my life,just as when I gave birth to my children and received my first grandson from her mama's womb.
If this is not a perfect orchestrating God, then What is?

I understand and respect anyone who does not believe, I also know who my God is. No offense taken here nor intend to offend anyone. I know that I would never change the past. Therefore, it is not that I do not care about my chicken's, but mainly that I trust a bigger perfect awesome God who reveals Himself in all of creation. Chickens were never domesticated until we humans did. We try to protect them and love them but we fail because we are not perfect. Unfortunately we cannot understand what they might tell us and maybe for a good reason, but they also know if there is something that scares them around. But we can be on the alert by checking on them and joining great groups of people that have lived different experiences to teach others like this one.

On your circumstance, I am sorry it happened and also understand your concern. It not only interfered with your chickens, but could had been a disaster on your family. I keep everyone from here on my prayers as I also pray over the few animal's that the Lord allowes me to care for. Might be good in your situation to get a good set of cameras and pay the subscription. Your safety is more important, even that of the chickens. Don't get me wrong, but we,even with pain of the loss, we can get more chickens. However, we cannot get ourselves back nor anyone from our family's members. Be safe and may my God watch over you.
No offense intended for you or anyone.

 

[DobieLover]

That's not completely honest. If all you do is record to the SD card, then no you don't "require" subscription. And most of the time these type of cameras will not let you download the video over wifi. You have to go pull the card. They do that on purpose so if you want to save and playback recordings you need a subscription. Just like all the other cameras that are NOT hooked up directly to a DVR or NVR.

Well, yes, it is completely honest. Because I've been using the cameras for 3 years and I don't have a subscription.
And I have the run cam set up to record on motion between specific hours of the night. I have lots and lots of videos that I've watched and I have downloaded from the Wyze app directly to YouTube or my phone. I've never removed an SD card from my camera.
Granted it only records in 12 seconds intervals but that's more than enough for me to see what was going on.