Why do I do this ?
For several reasons really
- Because I can
- Because it interests me
You learn lots of new things, even solutions to problems you didn't know existed. - Its not the same as the day job, so its quite relaxing
- It's better than watching TV
- I can get more sleep as I don't have to worry about the hens - or "the girls" as they are known here.
- There are less arguments about who's turn it is to let the girls out or put them to bed.
- You get plenty of fresh eggs
Why are you publishing all this information
I've spent many an hour on-line researching things and learning from others and this has allowed me to reach where we are today. I hope that the information presented here is of use to someone, because if it is, then I've given something back to the community.
What have you learned doing this project
The most important thing is that it will always take a lot longer than you expect to get what you want done and that the trivially simple 5 minute job will open into a can of worms and take you to a completely unexpected place. Also, some of the complicated things are far easier than expected.
Why is it called Chicken-Pi, but a Raspberry Pi is not the main controller ?
It is just a fun name for the project. There is at least one Raspberry Pi in each version of the project to date, however the power budget required to run a Raspberry Pi makes it impossible to achieve a low power design, hence the system can't run exclusively from battery and solar for much of the year. In the first system for example, the Pi was powered off over night to save a lot of power, since it only had a user interface and management role.
In the current design, one of the Pi's has been moved to the house, where power is available.
Did the children learn about electronics and computers
Well, the answer is yes and no. They were involved when they wanted to be, much in the same way that someone is involved in a complicated jigsaw, they drop in and drop out when they see "interesting bits". When they were teenagers, they quite rightly rightly prioritised other things such as time with their friends, but there were interesting discussions about issues, fixes and ideas, which is precisely what I wanted.
Ultimately, our Daughter went to College and University and now works in an Environmental Consultancy role and our Son went of to do Electronics at College and University and works in that field today, so I'll call that a win on both counts.
What was the scope creep ?
Yes, lots of it
- BedTimeLight mode was fun, turning on and off the inside light to help the girls roost, they really like this.
We've gone from one or two early roosters getting up onto the bar to more than 90% going up there. The last 10% are pecked off and have to sleep below - such is the chicken hierarchy, however when the next batch of chickens turn up, then the sleeping positions will change again
What's next ?
Well, there's plenty still to do, as new ideas keep coming up and new technologies come into view and some are useful for this project.
Fun ideas at the moment include
- Siri integration - for the HEN9000 pop hole door thing , but this turned out to be a lot more complicated due to how things worked in version 1. The new version 2 platform will include this feature
- Machine Learning / Artificial intelligence, such as determining the difference between an egg on the ground vs a stone on the ground and detecting a chicken that is stuck out once the door has closed, vs a rat that is looking for something to eat.
Is it open source ?
No, this project is a closed source project for personal enjoyment in the family, the designs are mine as are the ideas, bugs and features
How much did it cost and how long did it take
The simple answer is just "far too much" on both counts. However this must be balanced against what's been gained, which is an easier life, a lot of fun and a lot of learning.
What about bugs ?
There are no bugs (of the software kind), just a collection of un-documented features that will not be appearing in future releases
As for living bugs, its a chicken coop, there are plenty of bugs, but only until a Chicken sees it move, at which point it turns into a tasty light snack
Is it worth it ?
Yes, for the reasons listed above.