Would you pay for an automated chicken coop?

[wizInnovatinos]

The question that Im trying to answer: Would you pay for an automated chicken coop? Or, if not, would you pay someone to come to your backyard and automate your existing coop?

Background:
I'm an engineer and backyard farming enthusiast. I have designed a fully automated chicken coop that runs off solar power with automatic systems for the door, temperature, and lights, as well as having several design considerations like cleaning and general maintainability. In short, it takes almost all of the hassle out of keeping chickens, and I love it. Several folks have expressed interest in something similar for themselves, and it got me thinking about creating a business of designing and building automated chicken coops. Since many people already have coops, the business could include (or solely be about) retrofitting existing coops to be automated or more maintainable. The service to update a coop would include house calls to update your current coop, and I could include any or all of the features that I have already implemented, plus I'm always looking for new ideas.

So I pose the question to you, my chicken-keeping friends: Would this be a service that you would pay for? I'm wondering if this is an innovative business idea, or a lost cause, since most backyard chicken keepers seem to be of the 'DIY' nature.

Thanks for your input!

 

[kearly2015]

Sounds like a fantastic idea to me! (Says the person who has only had 4 chickens for 5 days!) Especially for folks who have busy lives/families and/or have to be out of town now and then.

 

[aart]

Nah...I wouldn't pay for it....it would be gawdawful expensive.

Easy chicken keeping maintenance, IMO, is about building properly configured structures more than anything.

Life's already too 'automated'.
For me BYChickening is about real and slow food, hands on, face to beak(haha), thrice daily close observation.

Automated exhaust fan for coop heat management in summer and maybe a pop door would be the only things that would be handy, everything else should warrant the keepers presence.