Have you ever wondered what’s going on in or around your chicken coop when you’re not looking? Are your hens enjoying a carefree afternoon scratching through the dirt? Is one of them settling in the nesting box to lay an egg? Maybe one has found a way to get out of its protective enclosure. Now you need some evidence of where she found an opening. Perhaps you have heard of small pets disappearing in the neighborhood and want to be more protective. These are all reasons why you need a chicken coop camera.
Keeping the chickens safe
We have experienced all of those concerns, just in the first year alone. As we have come to learn the personality of each hen, we also have learned how they behave when they sense danger. When a hawk is flying around, they tend to stop what they’re doing and all look in the same direction. When one escaped through a very hard to find gap in the protective netting around our backyard, we noticed the other three all staring in unison at the one that was out.
If you come to love your chickens as pets (and name each of them), the thought of losing one to a predator is just as devastating as if it were to happen to your dog or cat. While you can’t foresee every possible danger, you can get some piece of mind and better awareness by using technology that is simple to install and operate.
Security cameras
Since we already had security cameras around the exterior of the house, we thought we might leverage that to give us a view of what happens when we’re not home. We installed the cameras several years ago when videos of front porch package thieves started getting shared on the Internet and TV. We used Amazon Prime and usually get one or two packages per week, so we thought it best to be safe, than sorry. Fortunately, we have not had any packages stolen, so we took one of the cameras and mounted it in the backyard facing the chicken coop and run.
Now, we can tap open the app on our mobile phones and see what is happening in real time. Since these cameras are connected to a DVR for recording, we are able to go back to see where our escape artist, Bernadette, managed to find an opening to get out from under the protective netting. I don’t think we would have ever found it without that video. If we had been gone for the day, she may have ended up stuck outside all night or found a way to get over the backyard fence.
Installing wireless cameras in the coop and run
As the saying goes, if a little is good, more must be better. So the next step was to add more cameras. We ordered cameras that were purpose built for mobile app viewing this time and had the option of saving video to cloud storage whenever motion was detected. This turned out to be a great enhancement. We put two of these new cameras in place, one inside the coop and one outside in the run.
Inside camera
The inside camera shows the roost and part of the nesting box area. That lead to the next idea. If we put a wall thermometer up, we can see the inside temperature to make sure it’s not too hot or cold. It also created a lot of curiosity with the hens. It’s a little out of reach, but that didn’t stop them from trying to get to it and give is good pecking to see what it’s made of.
Outside camera
In the run, we mounted the second camera on the exterior coop wall, aimed at the most wide open area. This meant mounting it about a foot off the ground, so this one did get a lot of investigation time from the hens. It took a beating for the first few days and survived. Now, we can keep an eye on them whether they were inside or out.
With all this new found access to the secret lives of chickens, we knew just the person who would also enjoy watching them, Maria’s mother Joan. We loaded the app on her mobile phone and entered the credentials for our cameras. Now, Joan has easy access to both cameras and an endless supply of entertainment at her fingertips.
Sharing the mobile app with family
It didn’t take long before Maria started getting messages from Mom about the hens. “Where’s Lola? I haven’t seen her for over an hour.” It turns out, they are just out of camera range when they jump up to the highest perch. “Are you going to let them out of the coop? They look like they’re getting anxious since the sky is getting lighter.” We thought we would sleep in that day, but our plans were foiled. “I think one of the hens is locked outside because I only three inside.” Turns out one was hidden from camera view in a blind spot. Joan was determined to the be protective mother hen over our chickens.
Maybe sharing this camera app wasn’t such a great idea. On the other hand, Joan is getting a lot of joy out of watching them each day. It was a benefit to us too. If we weren’t watching them, she was, so it was like having a free security service. Our chickens have no idea how spoiled they are. Neither do our dogs.
Staying with the premise that more is better, then even more must be great. There were two problems with our web cam solution; blind spots that left you wondering if they were all there and no sound. What good is a video feed without the audio? Silent movies are from another generation, so it was time to step up the technology.
Adding pan-tilt-zoom and audio
Searching for cameras that had pan-tilt-zoom capability and a microphone resulted in many options on Amazon.com. Fortunately, we were able to narrow down the choices based on reviews and chose one that seemed pretty solid. It wasn’t expensive and seemed pretty reliable. The only downsides were that a new app was needed on our mobile phones since it was a different brand than the others and it wasn’t rated for outdoor use. So we decided to get just one to put inside the coop instead of the outside run.
A couple of days later, the new camera arrived and we mounted it on the wall, set up the WiFi connection and the new mobile app. This was pretty cool. Now we can move the camera in all directions and hear everything going on inside. For such a tiny little microphone on this unit, it really is sensitive. It picks up chicken talk even from outside the coop.
Feeling more secure
We played around with it and figured out all the details before heading over to Joan’s house to show her the new view of their world. She quickly figured out how to use the pan-tilt-zoom function on her touchscreen and turned up the volume. This was a real game changer. Now, the show is complete with a controllable camera and sound.
It feels a lot better having all these surveillance options. We live in a suburban area, so the threats are not numerous, but they do exist. We once saw a hawk fly under our backyard patio roof in an attempt to attack our parakeets in their cage. It was quite startling and quickly ended their afternoon of fresh air. Raccoons have left their mark (droppings) on our roof, so we know they are in the area as well.
A surprising discovery
What these cameras have given us is awareness of any potential threat and time to take defensive action before they figure out how to get to the hens. An example of that is a discovery we made one night that took us by complete surprise. We checked the cameras after dark and their infrared night vision picked up a pair of beady little eyes scurrying around the chicken run. It was a rat. We’ve lived here for nearly 15 years and have never seen a rat or mouse.
We would later learn that a new housing development had started a few hundred yards from our property. This probably destroyed their home and sent them out in search of new food, water and shelter. Well, our chicken run fencing was no match for the very flexible rat who can squeeze through openings that seem way too small for him.
We set traps. Snap traps, electrified traps and a live (cage type) trap. We gave him choices. If he chose the live trap, he would get relocated to some new woods. If he chose the other, he would die. Sadly, he chose the latter. The snap trap took care of business with no mess and no suffering. We hated to kill anything, but we had to protect those hens. Plus, we did give him a choice.
Discovering more pests
Feeling victorious over this vile creature, we congratulated ourselves and were enjoying a relaxing evening the next night, when we saw those beady eyes again. Even worse, we saw four glowing eyes. It’s a search party. They probably came out looking for their friend. This wasn’t over, we had to get back to work.
The traps were set again. This time one chose the electric surprise while the other one got away. Two down, one to go. Several nights would go by with the third rat making the chicken run his personal playground, while ignoring all of our enticing traps filled with his favorite foods. He was smart. Every night, we set the traps, watched him avoid them and then we removed the traps in the morning.
Got him…
Finally, one day, he took the bait. The live trap door was closed and one very unhappy rat was inside. He had plenty of food, but now he was about to find a new home. We drove out into the woods, far away from houses and civilization and set him free to start a new life.
Over the following months, we would find a few more of these rats and give them the same options. Most of them chose relocation. If we did not have those cameras up, we may have never known what was happening out there at night and eventually, they may have found a way to claw through a small opening to get inside the coop.
Cameras saved our chickens
Rats are known for being able to kill chickens by climbing up their backs and biting the head and neck. Not on our watch. Those cameras have become a trusted and valued part of our chicken habitat.
Installing your own webcam is easy. Here is what’s involved:
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- Buy a camera(s)
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- Mount it in a safe place
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- Connect it to power
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- Connect it to your Wifi network
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- Install the mobile app on your phone and follow the setup instructions
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- Enjoy your new found peace of mind
Consider installing webcams in your coop today. One-time effort with a lot of payback and benefits.
Recommendations
We purchased the following products and they continue to serve us well. If you click on these product links, it will take you to Amazon.com.
Zmodo 720p HD Outdoor Home Wireless Security Surveillance Video Camera System
YI Dome Camera Pan / Tilt / Zoom Wireless IP Indoor Security Surveillance System 720p
Google Wifi system (set of 3) – Router replacement for whole home coverage
Do you love to spoil your chickens with great healthy food? These are the same mealworms that we feed to our hens every day. They absolutely love them!
We’ve been ordering them on Amazon from the same seller for about a year now and they provide consistent quality. Try a bag today!
