Protect chickens from foxes or martens

Protecting chickens effectively is not a simple problem. For many years there have been various products on the market that are supposed to provide effective fox and marten defense. However, it is often only a matter of time before the fox gets used to this type of defense (e.g. the sound of a radio or the smell of dog hair). Other methods of defense, such as ultrasonic devices, involve not inconsiderable acquisition costs and usually also mislead the chickens (see huehner-haltung.de / marder-ratgeber.de). With the AnimalWatch app, we take a cost-effective approach that does not affect the chickens in their daily activities, but at the same time provides very effective protection against attackers.

The challenge with chicken mobiles (Mobile chicken keeping)

Mobile chicken coups present a particular challenge, as classic approaches to protecting chickens are often not feasible. For example, Stallbedarf24 recommends a fence that is buried 80 centimeters deep into the ground. Since a mobile chicken coop is moved every 2-3 weeks and thus the fence must be repositioned, it is not possible to embed the fence into the ground. Other defense techniques such as ultrasonic devices, radio or even dog hair unfortunately do not drive the fox away permanently. He usually gets used to the sounds or smells quite quickly. In practice, it has been shown that foxes almost always find a way to the chickens.

With our app, we approach this problem differently. The app is complementary to existing defense devices (for example, an electric fence). The app will send an alarm as soon as the chickens panic, so that someone can immediately rush to help. In addition, with the help of the app, it is possible at any time to call the smartphone that is placed with the chickens by video call to check if everything is okay.

Chicken mobiles usually have a self-sufficient power supply (e.g. batteries charged by PV system). This type of power supply is sufficient to operate a smartphone on which the AnimalWatch app is installed. By means of a mobile network, the chicken mobile can be placed anywhere - even if there is no WLAN reception available. This allows maximum flexibility, as no dedicated power cable or WLAN router is required.

And best of all, no expensive hardware is required! We want to protect the environment and avoid electronic waste. Our app can be installed on an old Android smartphone (Android 5+).