Things not to do #41.

[Mary Fisher]

That's an idea.

The coop (an Eglu) is small and unlit, I suspect it must be happening at night. If I undertake this exercise again I'll bear that in mind, she can sit somewhere else.

Mary

[Ian White]

Do not kneel down to inspect a full cesspit if you own a goat.

(Happened to a friend. Fortunately he didn't go all the way in... only his head.)

[Owain]

The small and cheap CCTV cameras have little built-in infra-red lights, so work in darkness and won't disturb the hens' sleep.

Owain

[Owain]

Obviously your banties have a domme/sub lesbian egg-sharing collective. You can expect the religious fundies with placards at your door any moment now.

Owain

[Mary Fisher]

Oh - I didn't know that. I was thinking of my webcam.

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

They daren't come here. I see them walking past the gate, I think there must be a secret sign somewhere, telling each other to Avoid the Fishers.

Understandable when you think how they've been kept talking for hours in the past ...

Mary

[Adrian C]

Your webcam probably has an infra red filter on its front. Remove that and attach some infra red LEDs on the outside to illuminate the hen.

Beware. The hen may demand performing rights and go on strike... :-)

[Mary Fisher]

eh? How would I know? It was very cheap.

She'd already gone on egg-laying strike, which is why I slipped someone else's eggs under her. It's just for fun.

Mary

[Adrian C]

List and info here.

[Mary Fisher]

Adrian, that's a fascinating site, thank you. I'm tempted to have a go. It would be worth buying a new camera just for the experience.

The suggestion was to have a webcam inside the coop to see what's going on in there. The coop is outside on the ground, this pc is on the first floor but at the same side of the house as the coop. How do I connect the two? I suppose I mean, what kind of connecting wire/cable (?) do I use and would it work over such a long length (about 30 -35 feet)?

Mary Sorry - about ten metres.

[Roger Mills]

If you don't mind spending 100 quid, Maplins have a camera in their sale which would do the job. It has an array of infra-red LEDs for use in the dark - and produces a signal which you can see on a TV or record on a VCR.

you'll have to hurry - today is the last day of the sale!

[Mary Fisher]

I DO!

No good for me then :-)

Thanks, but I like the d-i-y process described earlier.

Mary

>

[Roger Mills]

Sorry, I forgot!

[I was thinking, in particular, that it comes with a long cable - so that you can look at/record it in the house. With a USB-based web-cam, you'll need a computer in the coop!]

[Rob Morley]

Only if you don't use a few extension cables to hook it up.

[Mary Fisher]

Can't I get a long lead ... sorry, cable?

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

Tell me more. Please.

Mary

[Adrian C]

About 15ft is the maximun length for a USB cable. To do more than that (upto 150ft) you could use Cat-5 network cable and the following £47 gizmo mentioned here recently.

Though a secondhand 'dead battery' laptop with a USB port can probably be aquired for less, and maybe placed closer....

[Guy King]

The message from "Mary Fisher" contains these words:

It also works with digital stills cameras, too. And the resolution's better. The least satisfactory bit of the whole thing is the IR-pass filter. A bit of old film makes the image rather fuzzy even when it's close to the sensor. You can improve things a big by making sure the emulsion side is next to the CCD and best of all touching it. Even better is a bit of proper IR filter.

Oh, and this bloke's got a different take on the whole subject.

[Mary Fisher]

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I think I'll just wonder :-)

But thanks anyway,

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

Hmm.

How do I get Zen (the Zebra hen) or Gen (the ginger hen) to press the shutter release?

I don't think Spouse would approve of my using his welding goggles. He doesn't mind for eclipses but hens is different, innit.

Mary