blocking drafty windows

[chica-z]

So our coop has these old single pane windows on hinges that tilt open. They are right next to the roost and with the cold temps (and gettting colder!) I was thinking they need to be blocked up so the girls don't get frostbite. I am leaving one on the other side of the coop open so there will still be air flow, just not right by their roost.
I called our local glass place and it would cost me $65 bucks to get the cheapo plexiglass for them...so, anybody have any other ideas on how to effectively stop the drafts? Do I just go with plastic on the outside where they can't reach? The gaps in the windows are too irregular to weatherstrip. Any ideas would be appreciated!!!!

 

[mamaKate]

Duct tape

 

[patandchickens]

One option, if there is NO way that chickens could reach the windows to peck, would be removeable silicone caulk. Make sure to get the removeable stuff, as the regular silicone is much more of a beast to try to get off and there will be lotsa residue left.

Any large cracks, too wide to caulk, jam some backer rod in before you caulk. (Actually when I do this in places I don't care about, like the barn, I use strips of foam carpet underlayment instead

)

Another option, and please don't laugh, is what I'm using as "temporary" (read: most likely permanent

) panes for the two broken windows in the back of the horse barn. Go to the hardware store or Home Depot or whatever, to the lighting department.

You know when you're in a school or office bldg or some stores, and they have the overhead fluorescent lights behind those translucent cracked-ice-finish plastic panels? Get one or more of those panels (if need be, you can use a good quality duct tape to graft two together for a larger window, although mine looks ugly with a capital Ug

). Handle carefully, as they are brittle. IIRC they are something like five bucks for a 2x4 pane.

Best way to mount 'em over your window is to sandwich them against the wall with wood battens screwed only to the wall -- if you try to drill or screw through the plastic panels, they are fairly apt to crack and break, ask me how I know. Then you can unscrew the battens and take this 'storm window' away in springtime.

They will cut down a *little* on light, but not much.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[patandchickens]

Duct tape sounds good in principle; however I'd warn you that my chickens pick loose the edges and eat the duct tape.


Pat

 

[chica-z]

The plastic stuff is a great alternative idea pat...I know what you're talking about. I'll have to go scope it out at Menards. I think they wanted 26 dollars for a piece of plexi the same size. I'll have to give that other "stuff" (whatever it is!!!!) a try. The only problem with duct tape is that I've found when it gets really cold (who's ready for -20???) the tape doesn't really want to stick very well. Oh the joys of northern living ...on the other hand, I'm sitting here, looking out the window at the beautiful snow and we've got a nice fire blazing in the wood stove...lots to be thankful for!!!

 

[setter4]

Quote:
I stacked bales of straw up outside the coop and blocked the bottom of the window nearest the coop to try and keep it a little warmer.

 

[birdlover]

I got clear leaf bags and nailed them (staples would work too) over my windows last winter on the outside. Worked like a charm. The light could filter through and, also, I put plastic on the inside as well on a couple of windows that seemed to still be letting in a little draft.

 

[ChickenTender63]

Quote:
Plexiglass is cheap at Lowes or Home Depot, and they will cut it the size you need. A glass company is always going to be 3-4 times more expensive.

You can also drill through the plexiglass and use washers and screws to attach it with so there isn't anything to peck. If you use the thin plastic light covers, you can not drill without cracking, and it will be very brittle in the cold.

I hen could fly into the plexiglass at -40 degrees, and it's just going to bounce off, the thin light cover will break. Then in the springtime, just unscrew and go back to your old windows again.

Good luck.

 

[chica-z]

Good point about the hens flying into the thin plastic and breaking it(even metal gets brittle at those lovely temps)...they DO tend to get really rowdy! I didn't even think of it. Yesterday I found one of their fake eggs (a golf ball) on the opposite side of the coop and three of the eggs on the floor. Somebody was having a party! That's what I get for not letting them out to free range.

Brats.
We've got a Home Depot...I check and see what they've got while I'm in town...Menards was pretty comparable to the glass guy. These are south side windows, so I'd like to keep the light coming in as much as possible for any solar gain we might get. I'm terrible with caulk and messy things like that, so the plastic looks like my best bet. I would probably have caulk all over the windows, myself, and hens by the time I was done.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
You know what, it'll just crack and stay put, it's not like it's going to shatter and hurt the hen or anything. So I mean, worst case scenario, you say Oh Pooh or something similar, temporarily duct-tape over any gaps, and buy a new $5 piece at the hardware store the next day

I mean, plexiglas is definitely better, but you WILL end up paying significantly more for an equivalent size piece, even at Home Depot.

Have fun,

Pat