Closing coop windows at night? Yea or nay? What says YOU?

[rosemarythyme]

The main reason I even closed 2 out of the 3 windows was bcs this is the girls’ first night in the coop from the brooder and they were NOT happy when it started getting dark. So I closed them to darken the inside of the coop some. They eventually settled down.

NOW, I just have to get them to used the actual roost and not bed down in the pine shavings on the floor!

I'm heartless, so when the chicks got moved to the coop, I put them in (a cage for 2 days, as I have hens), shut the door, walked away and let them scream until it was dark and they finally gave up. They got over it.

Roosting will probably take some time. Some groups of chicks figure it out sooner, some much later. As I have adult birds mine roost "sooner" because they can copy the hens. Without adult birds, if you want them to roost, pick them up and put them on the roost once it's dark, to show them that's where to go, but don't be surprised if it takes a few weeks before it sinks in.

 

[Bear1978]

Yeah, I didn’t bother them when they started complaining. Lol. They finally calmed down. I just left it open for some air flow.

3 out of the 6 figured out how to get up to the roosts via the stool and log I have for them to hop up on. They just didn’t want to sleep there tonight. Lol

 

[aart]

windows open on my big coop open from April to October.

Ditto Dat!!

Gotcha, luckily the 1/4 covered windows are under the secured chicken run. That just leaves the smaller soffits with the 1/4in covering it but they are up high. Everything else is the 1/2in stuff.

No wire is any stronger than how it is attached.

NOW, I just have to get them to used the actual roost and not bed down in the pine shavings on the floor!

How old are they?

 

[Bear1978]

Ditto Dat!!

No wire is any stronger than how it is attached.

How old are they?

Thanks!

They’re about 6-7 weeks old. When I went out this morning there were a few of them up on the perch but I don’t think they slept there last night.

And all my HW cloth is attached with screws and washers. The 1/4 stuff has some staples in it too bcs I first used that to attach it until I read where the screw and washer method is preferred and so I went back and added those.

 

[Sarkchick]

Hi neighbor, what part of Arkansas are you in? I'm in the SE, just south of Monticello.

 

[Bear1978]

Hi neighbor, what part of Arkansas are you in? I'm in the SE, just south of Monticello.

Howdy! I’m up in central Arkansas north of Conway!

 

[Sarkchick]

Beautiful area. We travel thru yearly going to Eureka Springs. We only have flat land with a lot of timber. And Hot Humid weather. Down right nasty

 

[Bear1978]

This is the exposed window I was referring to, screened in with 1/2 HWC and secured with washers and screws. I plan on leaving it open tonight.