Stoat killed hens asleep in the Eglu

[ChrisM]

Just wanted to share a little win in case it helps anyone else...

 

We had been having trouble with the Smart Auto Door not opening and closing at the right times. The built-in light sensor wasn’t very reliable – it often opened too early or closed too late, when it rained, when I walked past with a head torch on.. We tried the fixed-time option but this wasn't ideal due to how much dawn and dusk are shifting this time of year.  We get foxes doing their rounds most nights so our chickens were at risk.

Thankfully, if you have Alexa there's a better way! The door can be connected to Alexa, and with Alexa Routines, you can trigger the door to open and close based on local sunrise and sunset times – plus you can add an offset. So, for example, we have ours set to open at sunrise and close 30 minutes after sunset. It’s been working brilliantly for 6 months now and is more aligned with what the birds' body clocks want to do.

Hope that helps someone else out there trying to keep their hens safe and their mornings a little less stressful!

 

[Beantree]

That sounds great ChrisM, but perhaps your post needs some detail on how the auto door connects to Alexa and disregards its own program? A step-by-step starting with how to obtain Alexa and onwards.

[ChrisM]

Omlet explain how to connect your Smart Auto Door to Alexa here.