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Because I am living along I needed a way to make sure my puppy was fed even if I came home late or stay away over night. She's a great dog but not an indoor dog so I got her a warm house on the patio and an automatic waterer and a large bin that I can put 50 pounds of feed into for her. she is great about not over eating and in fact she only eats once in the morning and once in the evening . She not fat so I know she's not over eating. The rest of the time she doesn't go near the food. and there in lies the problem because every bird within 30 miles knows where to get a meal and they mess the leave on my patio and the amount of dog food they eat would amaze you. I tried setting out owl and hawk decoys and they worked for a while then the birds learned they weren't real. I even put and old shop vacuum on the patio on a smart plug. It would go on several time a day to scare em away but they soon got used to it. So I finally decided that I would have to cover the food except for when it was feeding time. They usually don't show up until 8 or nine o'clock and then they next some time mid afternoon. I ordered a 12 volt linear actuator and relay 12 volt power supply and an outdoor plastic box to house the controls. A little 3/8 plywood and some hinges and this is what I ended up with everything is controlled via an out door smart plug to open the feeder at meal time and keep it closed during the day day. We will see how it works over the next few days.
