WINDOW DETAILS

First, a word about draft free coop construction.

When it is mentioned that chickens require draft free roosting space in cold weather, that does NOT mean that you should have tight construction with the windows and doors to prevent air leakage. Quite the contrary. Allowing air to leak into the coop around window and door openings is allowing fresh air in while the stale air leaves higher placed vents via the stack effect. Draft free means that the chickens insulating feathers should not be blowing in the wind. Allowing those feathers to move about will allow their body heat to escape to the colder air.

Windows and doors should be tight enough to prevent predator and rodent entry.

Installing windows hinged at the top allows them to remain open even in downpours without water getting in the coop.

I purchased three 100+ year old multi-pane salvage windows and two younger aluminum clad wood, simulated multi-pane windows for my coop and then framed the ROs to fit these windows (after ripping off the rotted portions of wood on the table saw).

After framing out the ROs, I temporarily screwed in a piece of scrap 1x4 trim where the top trim piece was destined to be installed.

The window was held flush with the plane of the trim board. I cut and installed 1x2 furring strips all the way around each RO to act as window stops to keep the windows from swinging into the coop and stressing the hinges and screws.

1/2" hardware cloth was heavily stapled to the coop side of the window stops.

Although I did save lots of money by using salvaged window, I did not save lots of time. It took many many hours to strip the paint and dry crumbling glazing compound off the windows with a heat gun and paint scraper. And I cracked a few panes of glass. It was impossible to get the panes out of the frames as they were painted in place. BUT, again, this is just a coop and they'll still look great when they are completed.

The stripping process.
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After stripping the windows I primed all the wood with an exterior grade primer then painted two coats of oil modified latex exterior paint and THEN I applied the DAP glazing compound. This stuff takes FOREVER to cure! I left the windows propped up against my house on the deck in the blazing sun for 3 weeks and I was still putting finger prints in the glaze when painting over it. Oh well... it's still just a chicken coop and the chickens don't seem to give a one whit.

I installed the windows then attached hook screws to the bottom center framing and the rafter tails to hold a medium weight chain.
I installed barrel bolts on the bottom left corners to hold the windows closed during the winter.

This is what they look like during the summer months hung fully open.

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Note the flower box guard.
I made it all the way through the first season without incident. During the winter the chickens started flying up into the basket and digging around in the potting soil and taking dust baths in there. :rolleyes:

And a side view of how they are suspended open in the chain.
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