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Showing posts from 2021

Nighttime WiFi Cam Check!

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Just checked in on all 14 of my gals in the hen condo for the night! 

Nighttime in the Hen Condo!

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Girls are sleeping well and seem comfy! The ceramic heat bulb is on and keeping the temperature just above freezing! It’s set to turn on when the inside temperature inside the hen condo drops to 31 degrees, and will turn off if the temperature reaches 38 degrees. The goal is to reduce the risk of frostbite.  Current temperature outside:  Current temperature inside the hen condo: 

Morning at Hen Haven!

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Every morning I run down to check on my hens and to provide fresh water, and grab the eggs they have laid so far for the day! Some days I give them treats, such as scratch and/or dried mealworms. They just love that! That’s probably why they all gather by the gate whenever they see me!  In the winter months with the short days, the lights turn on by timer every morning at 3:30 and turn off at 8 am. Since I installed the WiFi cameras, I have learned a lot about their habits with these short days. By 3:30 pm, all of them are in the hen condo for the night before it gets dark around 4:15 pm. They sleep well until around 1 am and then they are awake for the most part, patiently waiting for daylight. Some of them get a little antsy at times too. I had my lights set to turn on at 4 am, however, after monitoring their nighttime habits inside the hen condo during the night, I decided to change the time to 3:30 am, And as soon as those lights turn on, they are thrilled! They leave within minute

Projects Complete!

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Just finalized all of my projects! I finished securing all of the wiring using zip ties for all four wifi cams and LED bulbs. I have one LED bulb that is plugged into my WiFi plug so it can be turned on and off using the app on my phone! That LED bulb is in the hen condo. The other four LED bulbs are solar powered and plug into the charging station, which the solar panel also plugs into in order to charge the charging station. The station also has an extra USB port for charging a phone, for example. I had one of these solar LED bulbs in the hen condo. But since I added the electrically powered LED bulb there, I moved the solar powered LED light outside the hen condo by the main door. If I need to clean the hen condo in the dark for any reason or do something else in that area, I will have good lighting available to me! Also, I had purchased a 150 watt ceramic bulb for the heat lamp, to replace the traditional red heat lamp bulb because I realized one night, when it got below 32 degrees