Comments for DaveNaves.com | Dave Naves – maker – upcycler – enthusiast

Comment on Arduino Chicken Coop Controller by dn-admin

dn-admin — Tue, 27 May 2025 05:25:29 +0000

In reply to harver.

Saweeeet… great idea with the motion-activated cam! Thanks for sharing, Harver.

Cheers

Comment on Arduino Chicken Coop Controller by harver

harver — Thu, 22 May 2025 19:59:30 +0000

"I loved how you blended tech with a cozy chicken coop without losing that rustic charm! Building my own coop last year, I totally get the hassle of checking doors at night – raccoons are relentless! The automatic door system you designed is genius; mine uses a servo motor and motion sensor combo. Speaking of security, I added a motion-activated camera too –LOL when the hens scared a stray cat last week! Total game-changer for peace of mind. Check this out – it might be just what you need!" China Electron

Comment on Arduino Chicken Door by David Naves

David Naves — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 04:29:59 +0000

In reply to James.

Hmmm… that is weird. Looks like the same photocell, though.

I should redo my links…. it has been years since I worked on this.

Thanks for letting me know.
//D

Comment on Arduino Chicken Coop by David Naves

David Naves — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 04:28:46 +0000

In reply to Tom Peltier.

Fantastic job with all of it… much better job of documenting the build than I did.

Kudos, Mate!

Comment on Arduino Chicken Door by David Naves

David Naves — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 04:26:16 +0000

In reply to Andrew.

Saweet!

I went back and forth with that, but I found that it has to get *very dark before the door would close. But I love your solution.

Cheers!

Comment on Arduino Chicken Door by David Naves

David Naves — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 04:24:50 +0000

In reply to chris. Fantastic! Thank you for the share, Chris. Looking forward to pics, etc.

Comment on Arduino Chicken Door by David Naves

David Naves — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 04:23:34 +0000

In reply to Vincent.

Awesome… thanks for the share, Vincent.
Cheers!

Comment on Arduino Chicken Door by Vincent

Vincent — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 13:09:28 +0000

Many thanks for sharing this nice project.
I implemented almost exactly the same stuff for my coop door. The only exception is that I made a little simpler door mechanics (it is actually simply sliding vertically). I also added an averaging on the photocell brightness reading so that a temporary light beam (at the wrong moment) cannot make the door open in the middle of the night…
Next I have the intention to implement something similar but with a RPi this time. The goal would be to allow remote monitoring and control of the automatic door… Cheers, Vinc

Comment on Arduino Chicken Door by chris

chris — Sat, 19 Aug 2023 11:40:04 +0000

Hi Dave, greetings from the Highlands of Scotland!

For the past few months I have been using your automated chicken coop door design and general information as a guiding light for my own project. We currently have 9 hens but have lost two previous clutches to a badger and then a fox – very distressing!

I am a retired IT professional, so no stranger to programming in general, but this had been my first Arduino project.

So, I am now at the final stage pre-deployment, doing the final bench checks before the mechanism is installed in the coop.

Its been an interesting journey, and I have sure learnt a lot along the way! I think the most difficult part has been to get the whole thing robust enough that it can be deployed and (maybe) stands a chance of working for more than a few weeks in quite a harsh environment. Whether this will be the case remains to be seen!

A short list of the variances in my solution :-
– I have used an Arduino Uno
– As a base, I used the version of the software pasted by Josh a while back, thanks Josh!
– I have added some override switches, so I command the to move door up/down, independently of the light level.
– I have negated the need for any breadboards by using pullup settings on all the sensors.
– I have experimented with various connectors that provide the required level of robustness, but also allow for the boards to be removed at a later date for repair or upgrades. My soldering is rubbish, so have tried to avoid that!
– The coop door doesn’t have a locking mechanism on it yet – this is maybe something for the future.

Thanks for taking the time over the years to publish your project.
I will publish pics and more info once the unit is installed, hopefully next week!

Comment on Arduino Chicken Door by Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 01:44:35 +0000

Thanks for the post. I used your door design to inspire my automated door.

I decided to go with internet connected arduino to get internet time and calculate sunrise/sunset. That way i wouldn’t be dependent on a photo cell on overcast days in a shady run.