Note: this is currently working in my front yard to help keep deer from munching on our “deer resistant” plants. (insert sarcastic tone here; apparently deer haven’t read this list of plants) Anyway, this seems to really help as deer don’t like funny noises in the middle of the night and HATE to be stared at by cougars. (mountain lions, not middle-aged ladies) I’m still working on this project, but having trouble getting the mp3 breakout board to play the awesome sample of a ling roaring. (my wife heard it and says I have to insert a voice-over in the mp3, so I don’t give people heart attacks as they walk up the driveway)
I’m duplicating this very thing for the chicken coop and will install with some powered computer speakers, a strobe and probably some misters with pepper spray in case the raccoons or foxes want to stick around. (maybe even a flame thrower) =)
Click thumbs below for detailed views
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- Predator PIR Motion Detector Alarm & Deterrent for Chicken Protection
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- Predator PIR #2 – Motion Detector Alarm & Deterrent for Chicken Protection
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- Night View – Predator PIR Motion Detector Alarm & Deterrent for Chicken Protection
Quickie video:
Yeah, it seems like the sound is weak and lame, but so far the deer hate it and if you look at the night view, it’s kinda scary in the eyes of a deer. (and it’s relentless with every movement it blinks and beeps)
The Build
Parts Used
- 1 Arduino Uno
- (2) PIR motion sensors (1 down low with the LEDs and one up 7′ tall to catch more motion)
- (2) Red LEDs
- (1) Project box
- (1) Small breadboard
- (1) Piezo transducer
- (1) Single gang electrical box with cover
- (1) 9v volt power supply for Arduino
((future: powered computer speakers, speaker cable, mp3 breakout board, lion roar sample))
Wiring Diagram
Fritzing
(coming soon)
Hi. I love this idea, but I need to omit cougar eyes and use gunshot track and pepper spray for protection for my bees as they have been attacked multiple times by bears. Can you tell me roughly how much this rig will cost me to put together, and do you think it can work for them? Any additional ideas appreciated.
Thanks, Lauren G.
The rig.. probably around $40 (including the Arduino itself: https://amzn.to/32Rpt3J)
It can absolutely work for them.=)
Cheers!
Do you have a fritzing diagram yet for the part of arduino…. all your ideas are amazing. And I have lost a couple girls over the last few weeks … This would help me out tremendously. Also patiently waiting for the fritzing for the complete system. You have done amazing work
Thanks, Chad.
Nope.. tons of stuff going on in life. Haven’t had time.
I’ll do it as soon as I can.
(part of the fun is figuring it out on your own… just like me… give it a shot?)
//D
Hi David!
I am looking to implement a very similar setup for a friend that would like to provide protection to their chickens. Are your chickens restrained to a specific area and the sensors sit on the perimeter pointing outward to avoid false triggers from the motion of the chickens? We are working with free range chickens (no perimeter fence) and are having trouble figuring out how we determine the difference between our chickens and their predators using the PIR motion sensor alone… We are now looking into computer vision techniques, but that is a very new area for us. Any tips you have would be greatly appreciated 🙂
Ryan
Hi Ryan,
In short, this is implemented only at night… when all the girls are within the coop. =)
I am certain you are scaring the poop out of those deer – or smaller predators – , and this is a great idea. I shall implement after I get the garden under “control”.
I call my garden “SemiAutonomousRuralAnalog,” or SARA for short. So much to do until SARA can manage for herself – you are inspiring to those of us who have chosen the clan of technochicken. I am definitely integrating door ideas into my little coop.
hey there, alan!
thanks for writing in… funny you should comment on this post, i *just* finished re-coding and implementing the jaguar growl on an arduino micro. it’s SCARY (i’ve been testing on my family as they walk into the garage) let’s just say it works. =)