Get Started with FeedBunk AI

For farms in our beta program — everything you need to go from camera to report: download the desktop app, set your camera up, mount it in the barn, and upload your photos. Not onboarded yet? Join the beta.

1 Download the desktop app

The FeedBunk AI Compressor app shrinks your trail-camera photos on your own computer, then uploads them for analysis. It handles SD cards with tens of thousands of images without breaking a sweat.

Signed for Mac and Windows. Installs with a double-click and keeps itself up to date automatically.

2 Camera settings

Any trail camera with a time-lapse mode works. Dial in these settings before you head to the barn.

Mode
Time lapse — not motion detection.
Interval
10 seconds. The format is often hh:mm:ss, so enter 00:00:10. Leave any “first shot time” or schedule window blank or off — the camera should shoot around the clock.
Photo resolution
The camera’s lowest setting at or above 4MP — typically the 4MP or 8MP option.
Timestamp overlay
ON — required. This is the date and time printed on each photo.
Date & time
24-hour time format. Set the date and time accurately before starting.
SD card
256GB, Class 10 / U3. Good for roughly two weeks or more at a 10-second interval at low resolution. Format the card in the camera once before first use — and never again mid-run.
Power
External power strongly recommended. Most trail cameras have a 12V DC jack, and solar panels work too. At a 10-second interval the camera never sleeps, and AA batteries may not last the full run.

3 Set up the camera in the barn

Three steps: settings, placement, start. Ten minutes with a ladder and a strap.

Step 1 Dial in the settings

Use the camera settings above — time-lapse mode, 10-second interval, low resolution, timestamp overlay on.

Step 2 Mount the camera

  • Near the beginning of the barn or pen.
  • At least 5 feet high — 6 feet or higher is ideal. Strap it to any vertical pole, post, bar, or fan.
  • Aim it down the alley so the opposite feed bunk fills as much of the frame as possible — the close edge of the opposite bunk should stay in frame all the way to the far end of the alley. There’s no exact angle: check the camera’s preview and adjust until you have it.
  • Out of reach of cows.
Actual trail-camera view down a freestall barn alley with the close edge of the opposite feed bunk visible to the far end and the timestamp overlay along the bottom
A well-placed camera: the opposite bunk’s close edge is visible all the way down the alley, timestamp overlay at the bottom.

Step 3 Start it and walk away

Power on (or toggle ON), press Start, and confirm the first shots fire. Close the case and leave it for 1–2 weeks. After 1–2 weeks, pull the SD card and follow the upload steps below.

4 Upload with the desktop app

Back at a computer, six steps take you from SD card to finished report.

  1. Install & open

    Double-click the installer you downloaded. The app is signed for Mac and Windows, so it installs without security warnings.

  2. Log in

    Sign in with your FeedBunk AI account — or click “Create account,” which opens your browser to register.

    Desktop app sign-in prompt with email and password fields above the batch details section

  3. Insert the SD card & select the photo folder

    Put the SD card in your computer and pick the folder with your camera’s photos in the app.

    Desktop app window with an SD card photo folder selected and ready to compress

  4. Compress

    The app shrinks the photos on your computer to a small fraction of their original size, preserving the timestamps. It’s safe to close mid-job — it resumes where it left off.

    Desktop app compressing photos at 33 percent with live throughput and time-remaining stats

  5. Review & confirm

    Review the batch summary in the app and confirm — nothing uploads until you approve it.

    Desktop app batch details with farm, barn, and site names filled in and the footage date range shown

  6. Upload & get your report

    Uploads are resumable, so an interrupted connection never restarts the job. When processing finishes, your report is waiting on the project page — the app gives you the link.

    Desktop app uploading the compressed batch at 30 percent with a resumable progress bar
    Desktop app showing upload complete at 100 percent with an Open project on feedbunkai.com button
Do I need to update the app?

No. The app checks for updates and installs them automatically. Install it once and you always have the current version.

What happens if compression or upload is interrupted?

Nothing is lost. The app is safe to close mid-job — both compression and uploads resume right where they left off the next time it runs.

Need help?

Email support@feedbunkai.com and we’ll get back to you.