As anyone who has taken care of chickens or other poultry before will tell you, it can be backbreaking work. So why not build a robot to do all the hard work for us? That’s precisely what [Aktar Kutluhan] demonstrated with an AI-powered IoT system that automatically feeds chicks and monitors unhatched eggs.
Make no mistake, hens are adorable, feathered creatures, but they can be quite finicky. An egg’s weight, size, and frequency can determine the overall health of a hen, and they can stop laying eggs altogether if something as simple as their feeding schedule is too sporadic. This is precisely what inspired [Aktar] to create a system that can feed hens at a consistent time every day while keeping track of the eggs laid to ensure the coop is happy and healthy.
What’s so impressive about this build isn’t just the clever automation that scratches off a daily chore, it’s built completely with IoT devices, including the AI. The setup uses Edge Impulse as an object detection model on an OPenMV Cam H7 microcontroller to recognize eggs in the coop. From there, an WizFi360-EVB-Pico board was attached so data could be sent over WiFi, with a DHT22 thrown in to monitor and record the overall temperature of the coop.
This is already an amazing setup, but when it comes to IoT devices, the sky’s the limit. You could control heat lamps in larger coops, automatically refill a water bowl if the hens’ water is low, or even build a hands-off incubator. We’re only just beginning to see the clever ways with which AI can help monitor our pet’s health. Just look at how another hacker used AI to monitor cat poop to make sure their furry friend wasn’t eating plastic. Thanks to [Aktar Kutluhan] for showing us more ways we can use AI to help our pets!
Eggcellent!
Eggzactly!
While this is a seriously awesome project, quail do need a (little) more space to be really comfy. Preferably a square foot minimum per bird. Don’t get me wrong, this person is obviously taking really great care of their birds; they could just use some more space (and a dust bath to kick around in usually helps).
More comfortable quail tend to lay more frequently and live longer. Just what I’ve found from keeping the adorable little dweebs for 15 years.
Nice to see an OpenMV Cam showing up in a project!
Next AI project: an automated turret to take care of raccoons around the pen (not with a firearm, that would be a big ATF no-no)
People are going to have their minds blown when they learn about thermostats and the ballcock.
I do a ‘Pavlovs Dog’ training routine by making ‘Birdie, birdie, birdie’ vocalisations when ever I top up the bird feeders. It’s a joy to see the birds gather on the fence and wait for fresh food when they hear me coming along.
I wonder if this device would benefit from having an mp3 player that would play the owners voice to let the chickens learn to recognise it and connect it with feeding time?
It would be useful later on if you wanted them to come on call.
Could weigh the nest box if their small mass is detectable.
Make no bones about it I am not eat’n whole mini chickens. Drumsticks 2 inches long. Mini eggs. I read up on them and their cuisine after a friend’s duplex Hispanic neighbors had some in the basement. Could have been a $10,000 fine if the city found it. There were dead ones in the cage when he saw it outside.
We have Dan Quayle the Hoosier prairie chicken anyway. Golf.