Do I need to cover my coop window?

Jiffyrocks said:

Brackets on the nest box does sound like a good idea.
I'm a little sad about my coop now lol. Oh well. I'll just have to deal with things as they come.

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It's not too late to get your money back...and then you can be glad again! I agree with everyone else....out here in the real chicken world we call those EZ bake ovens or Deadly Dollhouses, where chickens bake in the summer, steam through the winter and don't have enough room or fresh air through any season. Not enough room in there for even one chicken to live comfortably for very long. Every time I see one of those it makes me want to cry. Make a great broody coop/pen, though.

There are many great coop designs that take minimal skill to build and will cost you much less and provide more space than the one you've just purchased, so don't give up hope....there's a whole thread on BYC with coops galore that may give you some good ideas, as well as a whole coop page.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/596294/post-your-chicken-coop-pictures-here

https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coops

And, to answer your original question, I'd not cover that window in the winter time...they'll need that air more than they will need the additional warmth...they have a down coat and feathers on top of that, so they don't need to be sealed up in the coop for warmth.

Teila said:

Don't be sad .. you are right, it is cute and it will do you and your gals for a while.


Please do share some pics of your girls when they arrive, I would love to see them!

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Thank you. I'll gladly post pics of the chicks when they arrive. Hopefully they won't mind the coop their noob owner has chosen! Haha!

Beekissed said:

...out here in the real chicken world we call those EZ bake ovens or Deadly Dollhouses, where chickens bake in the summer, steam through the winter and don't have enough room or fresh air through any season. Not enough room in there for even one chicken to live comfortably for very long. Every time I see one of those it makes me want to cry. Make a great broody coop/pen, though.

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Never heard those monikers before, but they are perfect!!


@Jiffyrocks...Don't feel too bad, you are not the first to succumb to this marketing ploy.
They do make great broody/isolation/chick coops,
take good care of it and it can be a great tool for years to come.

But meanwhile, you might think about spending the spring/summer/fall designing and building a larger coop.

I have windows covered with hardware cloth. That's it during summer. In winter, I have plexiglass cut to fit the windows that I secure into place over the screening to keep out cold wind and weather. It still allows for maximum light to enter.

Chick pics! https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1153926/chicks-are-in#post_18094087

Jiffyrocks said:

Chick pics! https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1153926/chicks-are-in#post_18094087

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Yay for chick pics

Just a note that might help, if you don't want to build, you can get a small premade shed and convert it to a coop. The new coop will be big enough, and is easy to retrofit it with roosts, nestboxes and a pop door. Your little dollhouse coop will make a dandy brooder coop or an isolation coop for an injured or naughty bird that has to be separated.

Update if anyone still cares

Here is a pic of my built coop (minus the few details still needed)

That is a big chicken you have there