Over the last few years my family has been keeping ex-battery hens - they are about 18 months old and have had a horrendous life kept cooped up in small cages in large warehouses. As much as we love these little bundles of joys and eggs it can be a drudge getting up in the early morning letting them out to roam the garden because the sun is up and bright at 5.00am!!
It would be great if we could have an automated door that could open just after sun rise and close half an hour after sunset where hopefully they are all cosying up to each other in the coop. Sadly there have been times we have forgotten to lock them safely away and discover the horrible consequences when a fox has attacked and killed some of them.
This instructable brings together a number of ideas I have seen on the web to create an Arduino Chicken Coop Controller (ACCC) to automate a chicken coop door and where possible I will give direct credit to those people designs/code I have adapted to create this personal sleep saving device. Many thanks to those who have shared their great ideas which has spawned this device.
The main features of the ACCC:
It would be great if we could have an automated door that could open just after sun rise and close half an hour after sunset where hopefully they are all cosying up to each other in the coop. Sadly there have been times we have forgotten to lock them safely away and discover the horrible consequences when a fox has attacked and killed some of them.
This instructable brings together a number of ideas I have seen on the web to create an Arduino Chicken Coop Controller (ACCC) to automate a chicken coop door and where possible I will give direct credit to those people designs/code I have adapted to create this personal sleep saving device. Many thanks to those who have shared their great ideas which has spawned this device.
The main features of the ACCC:
- Based on the Arduino architecture for easy prototyping and adaptation to your coop requirements
- Uses common parts easily found at you local DIY/hardware store/shop such as cheap electric screw drivers
- Uses a real time clock to maintain time even when the device is temporary disconnected from power
- Adjusts the opening and closing times of the door according to the current month - you can set it to your own timezones
- Provides a manual override just in case one of your lovely darlings misses sunset!
- Provides a min and max temperature reading inside the coop from midnight so you can keep an eye on your brood's welll-being
- A display which can be switched on and off to read out the current ACCC status and will not disturb your feathered friends sleep at night
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Signing UpStep 1: Building the door
The door is based around a design by Clint Fisher which I discovered on YouTube. This is a brilliant design as it actually locks in your precious darlings regardless how scrupulous the local fox or other vermin are in trying to prise open the door. You could use a simpler design of just a sliding up and down sheet of ply. It is up to you on how complicated you want the door - just don't make it out of solid steel as the motor will struggle to lift it.
Clint didn't actually provide the plans on his YouTube link so I set about to recreate them and I have attached a PDF file which you can scale to your needs. I hope from the series of pictures and my video file you can see how the door assembles and works.
Some pointers:
Use brass screws/stainless steel bolts where possible and treat the ply with a suitable wood preserve - I wouldn't use a vanish as this might over time cause the workings to foul. When fixing the perspex cover use brass screw cups to spread the load and will hopefully stop the cover from shattering.
I found loosely fitting the door lock levers ensured they worked even if they were damp from the outside weather. I made two doors to test. One has been in manual use to see how it would stand the damp and cold english weather - which it did! So hats off to you Clint it is a very practical design.
I have taken loads of pictures so you can see from all angles the design and how it is constructed and assembled. I haven't commented on every picture as I think it is reasonably self explanatory - well I hope!
Clint didn't actually provide the plans on his YouTube link so I set about to recreate them and I have attached a PDF file which you can scale to your needs. I hope from the series of pictures and my video file you can see how the door assembles and works.
Some pointers:
- I would advise using the acrylic sheet facing plate rather than plywood as it provides a frictionless face for the pieces to move freely
- You really need to see it moving to make sure it works freely and you know where to make any tweaks
- It really looks cool and you should show off your handy work
Use brass screws/stainless steel bolts where possible and treat the ply with a suitable wood preserve - I wouldn't use a vanish as this might over time cause the workings to foul. When fixing the perspex cover use brass screw cups to spread the load and will hopefully stop the cover from shattering.
I found loosely fitting the door lock levers ensured they worked even if they were damp from the outside weather. I made two doors to test. One has been in manual use to see how it would stand the damp and cold english weather - which it did! So hats off to you Clint it is a very practical design.
I have taken loads of pictures so you can see from all angles the design and how it is constructed and assembled. I haven't commented on every picture as I think it is reasonably self explanatory - well I hope!
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If you think about it and add a long spring to replace gravity, you can use that idea even in horizontal direction for other projects...
as a final comment i would like to thank you for caring for the ex-battery chickens. in a unrealted way: one of my geese broke is femer (which is inside its body, not accessiable by topical cast) so i went to the only place i know crazy enough to do sugery of a pet goose (cornell universty vet hospital) it cost me close to $2000 in medical bills, and a entire summer vacation inside caring for it.
I need first of all to congratulate you for this great design and implementation!
I've been planning for some time to implement for my own coop an automatic door but with the use of an LDR (we have no lights where the coop is), so now that I found this I will certainly start building it!
As I have almost no knowledge of electronics, just good soldering skills and good "follow instructions" skills I have probably a couple of rather "dumb" questions (English is not my native language so you may have already answered this in your instructable and I just didn't get it!).
Is the output of the trickle charger connected on the power input of the H-Bridge? Is the battery connected in the same power input of the H-Bridge?
Does everything work with the main power supply and charge the battery at the same time and when the main power fails the battery kicks in?
Thank you very much and once again thumbs up!!!
Regards,
Apostolos.
Firstly, a great instructable - I'll definately be basing my set up o it in the spring.
One suggestion That would be good is some form of timed switch to trigger an LED light in the coop that would increase the light-hours - to ensure decent egg production in the darker winter months. NOT on a battery level!!! But I've read it can be better for the chickens to have a minimum of about 11hours light a day.
I'm not an electronic/programming buff, so there's every chance it may not be possible, but would be good if it was.
I look forward to version 2. Any ideas when it will be ready?
Regards,
Matt.
I am currently working on version 2 which has:
- a visual indication the door has closed successfully,
- ability to turn on a low power heat lamp when the temperature drops too low
- Improved display and time setting
- those who would like to keep the lights on for a little while to keep their egg production up. Chickens normally needs10 hours of light to produce a single egg
It is likely to be a couple of months so watch this space. Further improvements for my fine feathered friends serious or funny are greatly welcomed - R-C
I decided to use a remote control to open/close the door from the house. This way I could make sure no predators were around first. If you wish check out the short video - http://youtu.be/UXNF4LRmzik
Again, thank you for a great Instructable. :)
From that last photo, one improvement that the hens would like is to add a heated towel rail for their roost ;)
Version 3.0 will be the automated turn the straw down before they go to bed!!
I was thinking that you could skip the arduino and go just with a photodiode and a few mosfets, but that is a good point. The fox walks near the security light, the light goes on, the door opens, and the fox gets a snack.
All around great instructable. Lots of good details..
Perhaps there is a photodiode out there that senses a wave of light that isn't emiited by the flood light but is still emitted on days with alot of overcast, maybe UVB light around 350nm. Then a temp sensor to control the heat lamp.
Roosters (plural) make a heck of a lot of noise. They have to compete with each other. A rooster (singular) makes less noise then a bunch of hens.
I've been raising free range (no fencing), chickens in a wooded area (and in the past in an open area) for more then 30 years and only one thing works to keep chicken predators at bay - a good farm type dog.
The coop looks great too. I love it, but I am very lazy —
Alternatively, a very, very simple solution is what I've been experimenting with this past year – totally free range-ing my chickens (small flock with two very big and very mean roosters, that is essential to the plan). Anyway, mine have branches for roosting high (about 5') in a run-in shed, and several modes of escape in the event of four legged predators. It's working so far. Hawks are another thing though, but that's a daylight problem.
The beauty of 24/7 free range for me is of course not having to get up early.
There isn't a chicken enclosure made that some predator can't get in, alas, and the carnage when they do is heartbreaking.
Roosters make a hellava racket :)
as I still did not used arduino could you please consider this idea :
http://www.treehugger.com/gadgets/diy-solar-powered-bird-house-tweets-when-birds-arrive.html
to allow solar power battery charging / or directly to power DC motor (may be change the current motor you used due to the voltage).
I ask you this because my backyard is too steep I though to use solar powering with those cheap small photovoltaic panels :
http://energybible.com/solar_energy/outdoor_solar_lighting.html
Or may be given the perfect photovoltaic solar panel that must be used to get the arduino power.
Sincerely thanks for your help and have a nice day,
Miguipda ;-)
I very much like the tree hugger link. I am seriously considering reviewing the design so I can light-weight components and reduce the Arduino power consumption so that everything can run off rechargeable batteries and solar power. I think I will need to invest in a high quality motor instead of being thrifty with my £5 motor assembly
However if you stripped the design down to the bare safety levels for my little ladies then everything thing you said plus a simple pwm arduino board would surfice.
@Robot-Chicken : I do not remember wich kind of motor did you used to open the door but I read somewhere that a motor used to open a car window could pehaps be enough to do this job.
Have a nice day and with pleasure to read the last update instructable arduino open door.
Miguipda ;-)
I was thinking of something like when your solar panel gets lid by sunlight it gives a certain voltage that might trigger a relay (or transistor?) which acts like a switch to make the motor run in any direction depending on in which position the door is. eg. When the door is open a micro-switch makes the motor run clockwise and vice versa when the door is closed.
Just a thought :-)
thanks for the instructable!
this could be useful : http://www.instructables.com/id/Self-Sufficient-Arduino-Board/?ALLSTEPS
The first way here : http://voltaicsystems.com/blog/three-ways-to-power-an-arduino-off-grid/
http://www.cooking-hacks.com/index.php/solar-module-for-arduino.html
Sincerely thanks for the attention you will have to this request. I seriously appreciate.
Have a nice day,
Miguipda ;-)
Much snazzier than what I did, and overall much less expensive.
I put my coop inside of two dog kennels hooked together (I already had one, but thought I needed more room). Hooking the kennels together gave me an area about 20 foot square and 6 foot tall.
To have security from hawks and eagles, which are more of a threat in my area than fox, coyote, weasel, or stray dogs usually are. I ran some ropes across the top of the kennel and hooked poly tarps and nylon netting to the ropes so that the top was closed off.
However I didn't stop with my security measures there. I also lay some 4 foot wire fencing on the ground under the edges of the kennel and then secured the kennel to the fencing. I hooked down the kennel with cork screw metal anchors that I drilled into the ground (I don't know what you call these - usually you use them to secure a dog). This gave me some security from digging or just forcing the kennel up and squeezing under.
I built an L and set it in front of the door to the coop to act as a wind break.
Now except for in the winter I just leave the coop door open and the chickens come and go as they please.
I feel pretty secure unless I get a cougar, wolf, or bear with the munchies come visit, in which case my coop probably wouldn't stop them anyway.
My approximate costs: kennels cost about $350 each, the fencing $25, the eight anchors I used only cost me $1 each (dollar store many years ago), the rope, tarps, and net I had on hand - I don't remember the cost, but all together they probably ran about $20. My total $753 USD or 475 GBP.
This idea could work for other pet entry ideas. Best of luck in all your efforts and there is a scripture that says it is a righteous man that considers the life of an animal.
Keep doing the right thing. :)
Some of my thoughts where:-
You already have a battery from the drill so run the whole thing off battery with a small solar panel keeping it charged.
Use the output of the solar panel to not only charge the battery but also to tell the Arduino when it's daylight or not.
Connect up a PIR looking into the compound arm it at lights out and only close the door after no movement has been seen for 5 minutes, over ridden by a timer at 30 minutes as you don't want to lose the whole coop due to one chicken not noticing. I know this could potentially have problems but I think the benefits of getting the door closed ASAP once all in would outweigh them.
An alternative is suspend the hatching boxes (if that's the correct term) and put a simple load cell on it and thus detect the total weight of the chickens and close the door.
The Arduino can be put in to sleep mode where it'll run for a year or more on a 9v battery without charging. It'll just wake up when you want it to do something or every 30 minutes for checks then sleep again. If you do go up the PIR route then another benefit is to arm an outside beeper that will hopefully frighten off any marauders if it sees movement after doors closed. If the house is within ear shot then this will also warn of of an attack or a stranded chicken.
I do like your suggestion of an audio deterrent - I wonder if anybody has a fox deterrent they have built. I would love to know your ideas.
If they have four doors it's a "chicken sedan".
We also have hens. I build our henhouses myself, insulated and with vents so it doesn't get too hot in summer or too cold in winter, but no automatic doors yet.
I have always wanted to make something like this. Now I have a lead, so this might be my next DIY project.
I live in Belgium and last week I heard on the news that batteries for hens are now a thing of the past. They have been forbidden at last.
Looking forward to your next version.