【3D Printing Applications】3D Printing on the Farm: Accessories for Chickens, Bees, Cattle, Horses, and More!
Have you ever considered applying 3D printing on a farm? 3D printing can improve livestock raising quality, making the agricultural business much easier!
Some people in this field have already printed useful and impressive things. We have carefully selected the most interesting and useful ideas from these. Whether you are involved in livestock farming or not, come and see the versatile applications of 3D printing!
Some people in this field have already printed useful and impressive things. We have carefully selected the most interesting and useful ideas from these. Whether you are involved in livestock farming or not, come and see the versatile applications of 3D printing!
Start by adjusting your chicken coop!
After all, you don't need to be a farmer to have a small chicken coop with a few hens, so many people might find this helpful.
When you have your own chicken coop, the biggest difficulty in raising chickens is the need to wake up early to let your feathered friends out and about. Over time, getting up every morning becomes quite annoying. Fortunately, there's a simple solution to this particular problem—an automatic chicken coop door. However, let's assume you don't want to play with Arduino or buy expensive electronics, and simply want to print something mechanical. We have a solution! A semi-automatic pedal-controlled chicken coop door! We call it Kürnikotvör *.
The principle is simple. There's a pedal with a latch that keeps the door closed. Once the first hen wakes up in the morning and decides to go out, she steps on the pedal and opens the door via a counterweight mechanism. The chicken keeper only needs to come at night to close the door, which reduces 50% of the work for anyone raising chickens. Plus, this project doesn't require many materials, just a few screws, plexiglass, and some 3D printed parts.
*In Czech, Kurník = chicken coop, Otvor = opening. This is supposed to be a joke... because they named this thing simply, but it sounds funny. Never mind…
After all, you don't need to be a farmer to have a small chicken coop with a few hens, so many people might find this helpful.
When you have your own chicken coop, the biggest difficulty in raising chickens is the need to wake up early to let your feathered friends out and about. Over time, getting up every morning becomes quite annoying. Fortunately, there's a simple solution to this particular problem—an automatic chicken coop door. However, let's assume you don't want to play with Arduino or buy expensive electronics, and simply want to print something mechanical. We have a solution! A semi-automatic pedal-controlled chicken coop door! We call it Kürnikotvör *.
The principle is simple. There's a pedal with a latch that keeps the door closed. Once the first hen wakes up in the morning and decides to go out, she steps on the pedal and opens the door via a counterweight mechanism. The chicken keeper only needs to come at night to close the door, which reduces 50% of the work for anyone raising chickens. Plus, this project doesn't require many materials, just a few screws, plexiglass, and some 3D printed parts.
*In Czech, Kurník = chicken coop, Otvor = opening. This is supposed to be a joke... because they named this thing simply, but it sounds funny. Never mind…
Is that all you can print for chickens? Not at all! There are many poultry prints available online, but most aren't as sexy as the Kurnikotvör (still not funny?).
One more thing: Don't forget that your interesting, harmless chicken friends are somewhat related to the pterosaurs that once roamed the Earth. Don't believe us? Try printing these claws for them – but we take no responsibility for the damage caused by chicken claws. With these, they will rule the earth and spread fear and doom! (Haha!)
One more thing: Don't forget that your interesting, harmless chicken friends are somewhat related to the pterosaurs that once roamed the Earth. Don't believe us? Try printing these claws for them – but we take no responsibility for the damage caused by chicken claws. With these, they will rule the earth and spread fear and doom! (Haha!)
Models from Khelian and kaje on Printables
Beekeeping
If you're scared by chickens with claws, cute little bees might calm you down. Well, unless you're thinking of Asian giant hornets right now – those things are terrifying! But don't worry, they won't harm you unless you provoke them. Or will they? [Evil laughter in the background] Anyway, there are some cool and useful 3D printed tools that can make a beekeeper's life easier.
Most models available online are various simple bee feeders. They are easy to print and very useful. Some can be inserted inside the beehive, some are external, some can be attached to bottles, and some to jars. There's not much to it, just print it and use it!
If you're scared by chickens with claws, cute little bees might calm you down. Well, unless you're thinking of Asian giant hornets right now – those things are terrifying! But don't worry, they won't harm you unless you provoke them. Or will they? [Evil laughter in the background] Anyway, there are some cool and useful 3D printed tools that can make a beekeeper's life easier.
Most models available online are various simple bee feeders. They are easy to print and very useful. Some can be inserted inside the beehive, some are external, some can be attached to bottles, and some to jars. There's not much to it, just print it and use it!
Bee feeders designed by NicG and DavidP on Printables
But sometimes you might find something more specifically useful – for example, queen bee catchers, Asian hornet traps, various hive entrances, etc.
Models provided by cimbi, Jeff K, MAPBuH, and Stipao on Printables
Pursa's beehive entrance. You can find more information about the PrusaHive project on the PrusaLab makerspace website.
Livestock Farming Upgrade
Here's a useless fact: an average of 22 people die annually from cattle in the US, so don't mock them, or they might be waiting for you behind a dumpster in a dark alley. This means cattle are far more dangerous than sharks, which cause an average of 10 deaths globally each year.
If something happens to you and your herd is to blame, 3D printing might be able to help. Smart GPS trackers have various parts, some of which are 3D printed! Of course, electronics might not be as cheap and simple as fences, but you can immediately tell if a horse, cow, or sheep has wandered too far. Additionally, you can print discriminators in various colors to easily distinguish them when they mix together!
If your animals keep escaping or you simply can't let them roam freely, you might eventually decide to start building fences. This is another area where a 3D printer can help you! You can print various wire holders, hooks, etc. We recommend using UV-resistant materials, such as Prusament ASA, for optimal performance.
Here's a useless fact: an average of 22 people die annually from cattle in the US, so don't mock them, or they might be waiting for you behind a dumpster in a dark alley. This means cattle are far more dangerous than sharks, which cause an average of 10 deaths globally each year.
If something happens to you and your herd is to blame, 3D printing might be able to help. Smart GPS trackers have various parts, some of which are 3D printed! Of course, electronics might not be as cheap and simple as fences, but you can immediately tell if a horse, cow, or sheep has wandered too far. Additionally, you can print discriminators in various colors to easily distinguish them when they mix together!
If your animals keep escaping or you simply can't let them roam freely, you might eventually decide to start building fences. This is another area where a 3D printer can help you! You can print various wire holders, hooks, etc. We recommend using UV-resistant materials, such as Prusament ASA, for optimal performance.
Insulators by Kiwi Tinkerer from Printables
But you can also make animals feel more comfortable in your place so they won't run away. We recommend providing them with a nice jacuzzi, sauna, or massage, or at least printing them a nice back scratcher. Maybe cows are grumpy because they can't scratch an itch, who knows?
You might disagree on whether it's suitable for 3D printing, as various scratchers can be bought online, but they are usually not custom-made. Let's say you have a small pig, goat, or a baby alligator and want to buy them a small, hard scratcher. You don't want to buy a large cattle scratching board, nor do you want to use a broom scratcher. So why not print one? It's recommended to print with elastic 3D printing filaments – these filaments are usually very durable and tough, can withstand impact and absorb shock, and can resist the immense force of animals.
You might disagree on whether it's suitable for 3D printing, as various scratchers can be bought online, but they are usually not custom-made. Let's say you have a small pig, goat, or a baby alligator and want to buy them a small, hard scratcher. You don't want to buy a large cattle scratching board, nor do you want to use a broom scratcher. So why not print one? It's recommended to print with elastic 3D printing filaments – these filaments are usually very durable and tough, can withstand impact and absorb shock, and can resist the immense force of animals.
FuzNuz modular scratcher for horse equipment
Then, there are more models typically used for horses, but these can also be used for other animals. Nicholas Radzykewycz (FuzNuz) has uploaded some of his cool models to Printables so you can browse his collection. Some of these things indeed look very useful and can relieve animal stress – like this Bot Fly scraper.
Some practical models by FuzNuz
Nicholas Radzykewycz (FuzNuz) gained attention by making veterinary prosthetics for horses using 3D printing. There are many skilled makers around the world who improve animals' lives through 3D printing. For example, Horses First from Finland, r3volutiond from Germany, and Driftdog from Italy. You can check them out for inspiration on veterinary 3D printing. If you want to delve deeper into this topic, you can also join the VVCA group, which discusses virtual care and telemedicine under the supervision of skilled veterinarians. Additionally, we recommend visiting embodi3d for more information. But for now, let's return to general aid for farm animals.
Mousetraps
Every farm needs to deal with rodents in some way.
Typically, pests are poisoned or killed by various traps. Kill traps are usually very cheap and simple, and 3D printing cannot compete in this aspect. But in certain specific situations, you might need to catch mice alive, or you might empathize with these animals and do everything possible to relocate them to nature. For this, there are various live traps that can be easily 3D printed. But you should know that mice caught in live traps can be very stressed and might die quickly, or escape from plastic traps and seek revenge.
If you want to keep rodents alive, you need to check the traps frequently.
Every farm needs to deal with rodents in some way.
Typically, pests are poisoned or killed by various traps. Kill traps are usually very cheap and simple, and 3D printing cannot compete in this aspect. But in certain specific situations, you might need to catch mice alive, or you might empathize with these animals and do everything possible to relocate them to nature. For this, there are various live traps that can be easily 3D printed. But you should know that mice caught in live traps can be very stressed and might die quickly, or escape from plastic traps and seek revenge.
If you want to keep rodents alive, you need to check the traps frequently.
Mouse trap designed by Matthew Ray on Printables
Is that all? Not at all. There are plenty of models available that can make your (and animals') lives easier, but this is simply beyond the scope of this article. However, we have one last suggestion for you, and this time we're serious: help the environment around you.
The animals and plants living around your home/farm can help you and your animals live healthier lives. For example, building birdhouses and bat houses helps reduce insect populations. Did you know, for instance, that in the US alone, bats save approximately $23 billion annually in pesticide costs by eating insects? Additionally, you can support local raptors by printing habitats and placing them around fields with crops. When placed correctly, this will allow birds a clear view of the fields and provide a good resting place. You will find that the number of rodents destroying your crops will quickly begin to decrease.
So to recap, you can do a lot for your own and your animals' welfare through 3D printing, don't you think? We hope you enjoy it as much as we do. We can't wait to see more high-tech 3D printed farms!
Happy printing!
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This detailed introduction demonstrates that the applications of 3D printing have endless possibilities! Want to learn more or are interested in trying 3D printing? If you need more details, please contact us!
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