Tell some farmers that they can leave town for a week and not have to put their lives on hold to go home and feed, they will jump for joy. Daniel Badiou has invented a robotic chicken coop, Rova, that moves around the pasture automatically.

Rova is solar-powered with a battery backup that can last for up to 5 days. Badiou spends only 5 or 10 minutes a day checking on his chickens through his smartphone. The automated coop comes with a GPS, wireless temperature and wind sensors and camera. The environment inside the coop may be adjusted depending on weather conditions to keep out rain and moderate the temperature for maximum comfort.

The coop is also outfitted with a simple beep from the direction the coop will move next. Badiou says the chickens quickly learned what the beeping meant and they now run to that side in anticipation of replenished grass and bugs. The Rova does hold water and feed as well and provides notifications when they are running low.

Badiou is still testing size prototypes of various materials, from wood to steel, that house from 20-200 birds and estimates that each will pay for itself in about 3 years and cost between $10,000 - $40,000. Reception on the invention has been very positive and he recently returned from a regional farm show with 50 orders. “We had a phenomenal response,” says Badiou. “We’ve even heard from municipalities that want to put them in their city parks to show people how chickens are raised.”

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