Daylight to Coop

[Akelic]

I have a coop approx 2m x 2.5m with 1.9m ceiling. we have a window about 40cm x 60cm however I am not sure if i should be putting a clear roof sheet to allow more daylight into the coop? or will another 1.5m2 on ceiling be to much daylight for them? would appreciate some advice and peoples experiences. thanks

 

[DobieLover]

The birds generally do not hang out in the coop during the day unless it is brutally cold out or they have no other place to go if it is raining.
My first coop had a polycarbonate roof to let lots of natural light in and it worked well.
How much ventilation is in your coop? What is your climate like?

 

[Shadrach]

I have some reservations about the wisdom of translucent and transparent roofs for coops.
I built a small coop in a bit of hurry. The coop was on legs about 0.5 metre off the ground and not having anything else to hand I put a polycarbonate roof on it. Come roost time the chickens went into the coop and then came back out and settled underneath the coop floor. When I replaced the roof with a solid sheet of plywood they were happy to roost in the coop rather than under it.

I currently have a translucent coop extension to provide weather shelter. When it rains the chickens prefer to get underneath the coop itself rather than shelter in the coop extension.

This suggests to me that chickens prefer something above their head that they perceive to be solid.

 

[aart]

How much ventilation is in your coop? What is your climate like?

Key questions^^^.

@Akelic Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
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[Ridgerunner]

My personal preference is to not have real bright coop. One of the possible causes of aggression is too much light. I've seen that comment in articles about commercial hen houses and brooders. So I don't like to overdo it but how much of this is just rationalizing my personal preference? If I liked it bright I could probably come up with reasons to support that view.

You and the chickens need enough light to get around in there and I prefer to do that with natural light. My coop is a bit larger than yours, roughly 2.5 x 4 meters. I only have one standard sized window on the north side (away from the sun) but I also have several areas cut out and covered by hardware cloth that admit light.

Like Dobie, mine are hardly ever in the coop during the day. I don't know how much time yours will spend inside, that will depend on what your run looks like and your climate.

 

[Akelic]

The birds generally do not hang out in the coop during the day unless it is brutally cold out or they have no other place to go if it is raining.
My first coop had a polycarbonate roof to let lots of natural light in and it worked well.
How much ventilation is in your coop? What is your climate like?

Melbourne and ventilation on all 4 sides at top

 

[aart]

Melbourne

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