Forget getting up with the chickens. My Connected Coop, the first smart chicken coop, makes the workload more manageable for those who own the birds, whether they live in an urban or rural setting. With its internet-enabled features and mobile app, it takes care of day-to-day tasks, even allowing owners to care for their hens completely remotely for weeks at a time if need be.
The idea for the coop came from Greg Cullen, a Chicago-area resident who wanted healthy eggs from healthy chickens without having to worry about issues like predators, stress, and maintenance. He decided to create his own solution, one that would work for busy families, he explains on the company’s website. What he came up with was a way to do everything from remotely opening and closing the coop door to automated feeding and watering.
My Connected Coop’s technology includes a camera with night vision, remote door, and other internet-enabled monitoring devices. It can be purchased in a package that also has all the materials you need to build a five-chicken coop, or in a technology-only package to update an existing coop. In either case, setup is designed to be easy; the company estimates that it should take one to two hours, depending on your skill level.
The My Connected Coop app allows for remote video monitoring, as well as keeping tabs on food, temperature, and humidity. You can also set up alerts, such as reminders to clean the coop or notifications when food is running low. The company even offers chicken-raising tips.
Cullen makes it sound easy. He writes on My Connected Coop’s website that the app lets him feed, water, and tuck in his chickens “through the push of a button.” Apparently, all the hens have to worry about is his family’s “curious 60-pound dog.”
The full coop package can be ordered now for $1,350, while the technology package costs $350.
