6 Best Trailer Cameras for Flock Safety

You hear a squawk in the middle of the night and your heart sinks. Is it a raccoon finally figuring out that loose board, or just a hen having a bad dream? Without eyes on the situation, you’re left guessing, and that uncertainty is one of the toughest parts of keeping chickens. A simple, affordable camera can be the difference between a good night’s sleep and a frantic, flashlight-led run to the coop.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. Thank you!

Why Monitor Your Flock with a Trailer Camera?

A camera in the coop is about more than just entertainment. It’s a powerful diagnostic tool. When you hear that midnight commotion, a quick check of the live feed can tell you if you’re dealing with a predator or a simple squabble on the roosting bar. Identifying the threat—be it a weasel, raccoon, or neighborhood dog—is the first step to properly securing your coop against it.

Monitoring also provides crucial insight into your flock’s health and behavior. You can spot the early signs of illness, like a bird that isn’t roosting with the others or seems lethargic. You can see who the bully is, identify an egg-bound hen, or confirm everyone made it inside before the automatic door closed. This kind of observation is invaluable for catching problems before they become crises.

Ultimately, a camera delivers peace of mind. Whether you’re at work or on vacation, you can check in on your birds with a tap on your phone. It transforms the coop from a "black box" into a space you can manage remotely, ensuring your flock is safe and sound without you needing to be physically present every moment.

Wyze Cam v3: Top-Notch Night Vision on a Budget

The Wyze Cam v3 is a favorite for a reason. Its standout feature is color night vision, which is a massive advantage in a coop setting. Instead of a grainy, black-and-white blob, you can actually see the distinct markings of a raccoon or the tawny fur of a fox, making predator identification incredibly clear.

This camera is wired, which is a key consideration. You’ll need to run an extension cord or have an outlet near the coop. The benefit, however, is that you never have to worry about charging batteries. It’s also rated IP65 for weather resistance, meaning it can handle the dust, humidity, and temperature swings of a coop environment, whether mounted inside or just outside under an eave.

For storage, you have options. While Wyze offers a cloud subscription service, the camera has a microSD card slot. This is the budget-friendly choice, allowing you to record motion events or even continuous footage locally without any monthly fees. Just pop in a card, and you can review any incidents directly from the app.

Blink Mini: Compact and Simple Indoor Coop Cam

If you want the absolute simplest setup for inside your coop, the Blink Mini is a strong contender. It’s incredibly small and lightweight, making it easy to tuck onto a ledge or mount in a corner overlooking the roosts. Setup is fast and the app is straightforward—it’s designed for people who want a camera working in five minutes.

The main tradeoff here is that the Blink Mini is an indoor-only camera. It is not built to withstand moisture or extreme temperatures, so it must be placed inside the coop itself, protected from the elements. Its night vision is standard infrared, which means you’ll get a clear black-and-white image, but you won’t get the predator-identifying color of something like the Wyze v3.

Blink’s system is built around its cloud subscription for saving video clips. However, you can bypass monthly fees by purchasing a separate Blink Sync Module 2. This allows you to plug in a USB flash drive and save motion clips locally, which is a great one-time purchase for a more self-sufficient system.

Reolink Argus 2E: Wire-Free Solar Power Option

For the coop at the far end of the pasture with no power outlet in sight, the Reolink Argus 2E is a game-changer. This camera is completely wire-free, running on a rechargeable battery. Pair it with the optional Reolink solar panel, and you have a monitoring system that can run indefinitely without you ever needing to bring a battery inside to charge.

This camera delivers a solid 1080p picture and features "starlight" night vision, which provides more detail and some color in low-light conditions compared to basic infrared. Because it’s battery-powered, it relies on a passive infrared (PIR) motion sensor to wake up and record. This is great for conserving power, but it means you’re capturing clips of events, not recording 24/7.

The Argus 2E is built for the outdoors and includes a microSD card slot for local storage, making it a fantastic off-grid solution. The key to success is positioning the solar panel for several hours of direct daily sunlight. If your coop is in deep shade, you’ll find yourself manually charging the battery every few weeks or months, depending on how active your flock is.

Eufy Solo IndoorCam C24: Crisp 2K Resolution

Detail can matter, and that’s where the Eufy C24 shines. With its 2K resolution, you get a significantly sharper image than standard 1080p cameras. This allows you to zoom in on the footage to check for signs of mites on a bird or get a crystal-clear look at a potential predator that got inside the run.

One of its best features is the on-device AI. The camera can distinguish between people, pets, and general motion (like a chicken flapping its wings). This drastically cuts down on pointless notifications. You can set it to only alert you when it detects a non-chicken animal, which is perfect for coop security.

Like a few others on this list, the C24 is a wired, indoor-only camera that requires Wi-Fi. Its major advantage is its commitment to subscription-free use. All the AI features and local storage via a microSD card work right out of the box with no monthly fees required, making it an excellent value for its high-end features.

TP-Link Tapo C110: Excellent Local Storage Pick

The TP-Link Tapo C110 is another fantastic wired indoor camera that competes directly with Eufy and Wyze, but it really excels for those who want massive local storage. It offers crisp 2K resolution for clear detail, but its main draw is support for microSD cards up to 256GB. This allows you to store days, or even weeks, of continuous footage without relying on the cloud.

This camera is a simple, no-fuss workhorse. The Tapo app is clean and easy to navigate, and the setup is quick. It has reliable motion detection and decent infrared night vision, covering all the basic needs for interior coop monitoring. It’s a great choice if your primary goal is to have a rolling archive of footage you can check after an incident occurs.

Think of the Tapo C110 as the "set it and forget it" option for evidence gathering. You plug it in, install a large memory card, and know that if something happens, the video will be there waiting for you. It’s a straightforward and highly effective approach to coop security.

Ring Stick Up Cam Battery for Versatile Placement

If you value flexibility and are already in the Amazon/Ring ecosystem, the Ring Stick Up Cam Battery is a superb, albeit pricier, option. Its biggest strength is its versatility. You can place it on a shelf inside the coop, mount it to an exterior wall, or even attach it to a fence post overlooking the run. Because it’s battery-powered and weather-resistant, its placement is limited only by your Wi-Fi signal.

The user experience is very polished. The quick-release battery pack makes recharging simple, or you can add a solar panel for a more hands-off setup. Integration with Alexa is seamless, allowing you to ask your smart display to "show me the chicken coop" for an instant live view.

The primary tradeoff is the business model. While the camera works for live viewing without a subscription, its most useful features—like recording, saving, and sharing video clips—are locked behind a Ring Protect subscription. If you’re already paying for a plan for a doorbell, adding another camera is inexpensive. If not, it’s an ongoing cost to factor in.

Key Features for Your Chicken Coop Camera Choice

When you’re deciding, it’s not about which camera is "best," but which is right for your specific coop and property. Your decision should start with the most practical limitations and work from there. Everything boils down to a few key factors.

Start by assessing your coop’s situation. Answering these questions will narrow your choices immediately:

• Power Source: Is there a power outlet at or near the coop? If yes, a wired camera offers reliability. If no, you must choose a battery or solar-powered model.
• Connectivity: How strong is your Wi-Fi signal at the coop? Test it with your phone. If it’s weak, you may need a Wi-Fi extender or a more powerful camera.
• Placement: Will the camera be inside the coop or outside watching the run? This determines if you need an IP-rated weather-resistant model or if an indoor-only camera will suffice. Don’t underestimate the dust and humidity inside a coop.

Once you’ve sorted the practicalities, you can focus on features. Consider what’s most important for your peace of mind. Do you need the color night vision of the Wyze to identify predators, or is the high 2K resolution of the Eufy or Tapo better for spotting health issues? Finally, decide on your storage preference. Local microSD card storage saves money in the long run, while a cloud subscription offers convenience and off-site backup of your footage.

Ultimately, a budget camera is one of the most valuable, low-cost investments you can make for your flock. It turns guesswork into knowledge, anxiety into action, and provides a fascinating window into the secret lives of your chickens. For just a small outlay, you gain a powerful tool for modern, responsible animal husbandry.