big mirrors in coops? (for extra light)

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dftkarin

dftkarin

Songster
11 Years
Jun 27, 2008
332
2
141
I'm wondering if a big (safe) mirror across from a window in a small coop might help reflect light and maximize whatever light is available if the coop only has a single window. Then I also wonder if a big mirror might drive the chickens crazy if they were in there and it looked as though there was a whole other room of chickens they could see - would it make them feel crowded or threatened or unsettled? The times they would be in the coop while its light out would probably be in bad weather so they might be a little unhappy at those times anyway. I want them to have as much natural light as possible and I know adding a mirror across from windows in houses can help with that. What do you guys think?
 
I would worry that they may try and go through it like it was another room. That is something I had to contend with when I had budgies and cocketiels.
Maybe if you put it up higher and angle it down? I'm just not sure with chickens. Never tried a mirror around them but they can do the dumbest stuff! I worry about mine sometimes.......
 
When chickens look into a mirrors they see another chicken they don't know. So they do what they do with a un familur chicken, either attack it or try to make friends.

So don't use cheap thin mirrors if the chicken is aggressive it will literly through it self again the image and break the mirror, it it's cheep.

We place several mirrors out side of our pens this spring. Out male turkeys didn't like it at all so we removed the after a little while. Some pullets just kept staring but didn't act aggressive, some just ignored it like they had better things to do. Some broiler were very aggresive trying to get out of the pens to the mirrors.

So for us it all depends on the indvidual chicken.

Tom
 
I would think that just painting the inside of the coop glossy white would do as well or better than a mirror for brightening it up. A mirror opposite a window reflects an awful lot of the light straight back out the window rather than bouncing it around the room the way white walls do.

I have a *small* mirror in the sussex pen which they seem to find mildly entertaining, but I would be with Nadine in worrying that they'd try to fly through a big one and hurt themselves. I mean, "real" birds do it and they are *much* more experienced and competent flyers than most chickens
tongue.png


Good luck,

Pat
 

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