ZKAccess products are used to keep people and property safe. But what about livestock?
Ohio-based integrator Casey Smeller used the ZKAccess C3-100 access control panel, linked to a ZKAccess box camera, to help a client protect his chickens from the elements, such as temperature change, predators and poachers.
The chicken coop needed proper access control for Smeller’s client to monitor his chickens. If trapped in the coop at the wrong time, the chickens can suffer dehydration and heat exhaustion. On the flip side, if outside the coop at the wrong time, the chickens will be left vulnerable to extreme temperatures and predators.
So Smeller tackled project “Chicken Casa” by implementing an interim solution of mechanical timers to control the doors of the chicken coop at preset times. But that solution was short-lived as power outages rendered the timer ineffective and left the chickens susceptible to the harsh elements at inopportune times. Smeller combatted the power outage problem by installing an Eaton UPS to supply constant power.
While the power problem was fixed, the timer solution was limited. Although the door was set to open and close at preset times, that left the chickens vulnerable to the possibility of temperature change and other factors that would prompt the client to want to protect his chickens.
That’s where the ZKAccess C3-100 access control panel came into play.
The panel, linked to the camera, allows the client to set the coop doors on a timer that can be adjusted at the client’s will, whether to account for daylight savings or varying sunrise and sunset times. The camera also keeps the chickens under video surveillance from a remote location and the client can open and close the doors of the coop as needed.
Smeller reports the “Chicken Casa” project is working great. His client has controlled the chicken coop doors, which has he says has saved the lives of the client’s chickens.
Smeller is happy, the client is happy and yes — the chickens are happy, too.
