Most iPhone-connected good dwelling merchandise are extra for comfort than enjoyable, however Chook Buddy, a chook feeder that sends footage to your iPhone, is unquestionably within the latter class. Once I first got here throughout the Chook Buddy, I believed it might be an attention-grabbing novelty product to present as a present, nevertheless it turned out to be one among my all-time favourite good units.
Design and Parts
Made out of a sturdy plastic materials, the Chook Buddy is available in both blue or yellow. The housing is designed round a digital camera, which is positioned entrance and middle to seize photographs of birds that come by to eat from the feeder. A tray holds the seed, and there is a small perch for birds to face on to eat. There is a seed reservoir on the again to replenish what’s within the tray because it’s consumed, and a roof protects the seed from the weather.
There are two variations of the Chook Buddy, one with a photo voltaic roof for charging the digital camera and one with a typical plastic roof. In case you have a semi-sunny spot for the Chook Buddy, I like to recommend the photo voltaic roof. I’ve my feeder in a spot that will get a number of hours of solar per day, and I’ve by no means needed to take the digital camera out to cost it. A member of the family additionally has the photo voltaic mannequin (that I gifted), and it’s in a a lot shadier spot. With the shade cowl, the Chook Buddy must be charged each month to each different month.
Each of those feeders see a number of visits per day, although the one situated within the shade that wants charging extra usually has an nearly fixed stream of chook guests. And not using a photo voltaic roof, Chook Buddy says that the battery lasts for five to fifteen days, so the photo voltaic roof does eradicate the effort of frequent charging.
The Chook Buddy disassembles into its part items for charging and cleansing. You possibly can take away the digital camera module and produce it into the home, however doing so requires taking the feeder down, opening up the again, and pulling the digital camera out. It prices with USB-C, and takes two to 4 hours to cost to full. With the photo voltaic roof, you join the USB-C port on the Chook Buddy to the USB-C port on the photo voltaic charger, so you may do the identical factor with a DIY setup, including your personal photo voltaic panel. Alternatively, you may use an extension twine and preserve it plugged in on a regular basis, although Chook Buddy solely recommends this for protected areas like a balcony.
Setup wasn’t troublesome, however the lights on the Chook Buddy are tremendous arduous to see, so if you want a blinking pink gentle to pair, it is arduous to inform that it is blinking. I did not have points aside from that, and with the photo voltaic model, it is a bit difficult getting the digital camera plugged in. You have to join the USB-C cable from the photo voltaic panel to the Chook Buddy digital camera, routing the cable by a small spot a the highest of the feed bin. I used to be nervous about this arrange, nevertheless it’s held as much as heavy rain and the cabling has not gotten moist.
Together with the photo voltaic roof, digital camera module, and feeder housing, the Chook Buddy comes with a seed scoop for including chook seed, a hanger, and a pole mount, so there are a number of choices for mounting. I purchased a pole from Wild Birds Limitless that I learn on the web was appropriate with the mount, nevertheless it was not, so I hung it up. If you wish to mount the Chook Buddy on a pole, you will have a pole with a 0.97-inch inside diameter (a standard measurement).
Measurement clever, the Chook Buddy is similar to smaller chook feeders in the marketplace, and it holds about 4 cups of seed within the reservoir and tray. In my expertise, that is a couple of pound of chook seed. Including and refilling seed could be finished by opening up the again hatch and utilizing the seed scoop to pour it in. I solely must refill round as soon as each two weeks or so as a result of I’ve different chook feeders, however that can range based mostly on what number of guests you are getting.
You have to be sure that the Chook Buddy is in vary of your Wi-Fi router as a result of it does want a continuing Wi-Fi connection and a 2.4GHz band.
Add-Ons
The dimensions of the seed tray and the small measurement of the included perch will doubtless restrict most visits to smaller birds like finches and sparrows, however Chook Buddy sells a perch extender for $24. I did go forward and choose this up, and I prefer it as a result of it offers the birds more room to perch.
There’s additionally a 3-in-1 diet set for $29, however I wasn’t a fan of it. It consists of an add-on seed/water dish that you should utilize for seeds or jelly, or connect to an included water bottle. There’s additionally a set of prongs the place you may add an orange or one other fruit if you wish to appeal to orioles. You possibly can solely use one among these at a time, and whereas the tray itself was effective, the water bottle took up an excessive amount of perch area and blocked the digital camera.
For $14, you will get a suet ball holder too, which may appeal to extra sorts of birds. The suet ball additionally blocks the digital camera considerably, so it’s kind of of a tradeoff. If you wish to mount the Chook Buddy to the wall, you will want the $24 Wall Mount, which isn’t included with the bottom buy.
In case you have entry to a 3D printer, I’ve seen a number of Chook Buddy STLs for add-on perches and seed holders, plus neat choices like a fence to maintain birds from perching and consuming out of view.
There isn’t a built-in safety from squirrels, raccoons, and different critters on the Chook Buddy, which is a draw back. You both must have a setup that places the feeder out of vary of those creatures or it’s good to settle for them as guests. The pole that I take advantage of has a baffle that blocks squirrels from climbing it, and it appears to be far sufficient away from close by surfaces so the squirrels cannot leap to the feeder. Chook Buddy doesn’t promote poles or baffles right now, although it seems like there’s going to be a pole setup launched later this 12 months.
Whereas Chook Buddy sells birdseed, any type of chook meals can go within the machine. There are some limitations, like full-sized in-shell peanuts doubtless would not match due to the opening measurement, however any type of chook seed or meal worm combine ought to work. I’ve not tried the Chook Buddy chook seed, as I’ve simply purchased seed domestically from a close-by chook retailer.
Chook Visits
It took an excellent two weeks for birds to start out visiting my Chook Buddy after I set it up, and there are placement issues to take into consideration. Chook Buddy’s web site has directions and tips about attracting birds. Along with being positioned to maintain squirrels and related critters away, the Chook Buddy will probably be extra profitable close to a water supply like a chook bathtub and with timber and bushes that birds can disguise in to flee predators.
I haven’t got the Chook Buddy in essentially the most superb location as a result of I needed it close to a window the place my cat can watch it, nevertheless it’s nonetheless attracting birds, so there’s some wiggle room. I’ve a cohort of home finches that dominate my chook feeders proper now, however I’ve seen a goldfinch just a few instances and a wren. There are robins and a ton of different birds round, however the mixture of nearness to my home windows, a close-by resident hawk, and the finches are conserving them away.
A member of the family who has a Chook Buddy a lot additional than the home close to a forested space will get frequent cardinal, dove, and sparrow visits, plus we have seen bluebirds, nuthatches, chickadees, and towhees.
You can most likely put it anyplace and have good luck on chook visits, although essentially the most selection will include providing the very best circumstances and meals choices.
Chook Buddy App
The Chook Buddy is only a chook feeder with a digital camera, and there are a lot of in the marketplace, nevertheless it’s the app that elevates the expertise and units it aside. Chook Buddy is ready to acknowledge the birds which are visiting your feeder, letting you understand what sort of chook you are getting, so it turns into a enjoyable recreation attempting to draw new birds. I used to be thrilled once I just lately had visits from a pair of goldfinches.
It is numerous enjoyable to get an alert a couple of new sort of chook, and you’ll acquire snapshots of your favorites so you may preserve a log of the species that you have seen.
When you can view a livestream of the Chook Buddy, it is largely set as much as take snapshots when birds go to after which ship “postcards” so that you can view at numerous instances all through the day. Postcards embrace a number of images and a video of the go to, and they’re restricted to the very best photographs captured in order that Chook Buddy would not ship an extreme variety of notifications.
I get between two and 4 notifications a day, normally a pair go to notifications after which a wrap-up notification on the finish of the day. Chook Buddy may even typically ship notifications for a feeding frenzy so you may tune in and watch dwell. Within the app, there are notification customization settings. Sensible push notifications (the default) warn you to solely essentially the most “essential and intriguing updates” with an end-of-day recap, however there’s an choice to get all push notifications.
There are separate battery preserving choices that change what number of postcards you get, so at max, you will see extra recordings. You can even ignore thriller guests (the place a chook cannot be recognized), or ignore a sure sort of chook when you see the identical factor over and over. Notifications can be paused for a set time period, so there’s numerous management over what the app is sending.
Along with viewing your personal Chook Buddy, you could be invited to obtain postcards from different Chook Buddy homeowners, and you’ll invite folks to see yours. You possibly can invite three folks to view your Chook Buddy feed, however with a Professional subscription, you may add 10 further viewers. You can even select to hitch common chook feeders for a 72-hour interval, the place you obtain postcards from that feeder. Photos that you simply get from the Chook Buddy app could be saved to your smartphone, shared with different folks, and shared on social media.
Chook Buddy has a “BB TV” feed the place you may see movies from all around the globe, swiping by them to swap to a brand new video, type of like birdie TikTok. It is a enjoyable option to see completely different birds, and to get a have a look at what sorts of birds could be in your personal space that you may appeal to. It can save you postcards, and faucet into the Assortment part of the app to see your photographs.
Viewing a picture within the Assortment offers info on that chook species, corresponding to their favourite meals, the place they’re discovered, enjoyable details, character traits, and lifespan. There are even recordings of their songs and calls.
You do not want a subscription to make use of the Chook Buddy app, however there are some “Pro” options. I purchased a Professional subscription, however I am unsure if it is one thing that I will preserve utilizing.
Professional allows you to invite extra folks to your personal feeder, view extra distant feeders, ignore choose chook species (probably some of the helpful choices), see higher-resolution video recordings, and get extra postcards with frenzy mode. There are additionally new AI choices which are nonetheless within the early phases of growth. Chook Buddy can warn you to sick birds and conceal their photographs, however since turning it on, it has been telling me each chook with a messy meals beak is unwell, which is inaccurate. I finally needed to flip it off.
There’s additionally a characteristic for “naming” frequent guests, which I have been testing. I’ve named a number of of the home finches that come by, however Chook Buddy cannot actually inform them aside, which isn’t stunning as a result of I am unsure I can both. It should ship a notification asking if a chook is a sure one that you have named, nevertheless it’s as much as you to verify by evaluating images. I’ve three feminine finches that I’ve named, nevertheless it solely ever asks about one, so it isn’t a characteristic I’ve discovered notably helpful. You may get alerts about non-bird spottings like squirrels and lizards with Professional, and hook up with Amazon Alexa units to see photographs and listen to chook sounds to convey the outside inside.
Different normal app options embrace notifications for cleansing and charging, meeting and upkeep paperwork, and Chook Buddy help.
Be aware that you simply want the Chook Buddy app to make use of the feeder and think about the feed. It’s not accessible for viewing on the internet, and there’s no Mac/PC model of the app.
Backside Line
The Chook Buddy is numerous enjoyable. I initially bought one as a present for somebody who is tough to buy, and it turned out to be a success. We’ve common conversations about chook visits, chook meals, and thwarting squirrels. I might positively suggest it for that type of state of affairs, and any nature lover or gardener would doubtless be thrilled with it.
I take pleasure in my every day postcard recap and trying out the birds which have visited over the course of the day, even when it is a chook I’ve seen dozens of instances (aka home finches). There are chook squabbles, messy consuming movies, acrobatics, and different exercise to get into. I’ve discovered myself looking for the optimum chook meals, including further chook feeders, and researching birds close by, so it could get a bit concerned.
On the draw back, the Chook Buddy is pricey (positively watch for a sale), and there aren’t any measurement choices if you wish to appeal to greater birds or use other forms of feeders with the digital camera. The subscription options are a bit hit and miss, and a few of the new AI additions are very a lot within the early phases of growth.
There are numerous bundle choices, however I might really useful the photo voltaic roof mannequin and the add-on prolonged perch over the opposite add-ons.
Tips on how to Purchase
The Chook Buddy could be bought from the Chook Buddy web site or from Amazon. It’s priced at $239 for the usual mannequin and $299 for the mannequin with a photo voltaic roof, although there are sometimes gross sales.
Be aware: Chook Buddy offered MacRumors with a Sensible Chook Feeder with Photo voltaic Roof for the aim of this evaluation. No different compensation was obtained.