Do I need a windows in my coop?

[3KillerBs]

I am thinking about adding a window using 1/2" HC to the front, and trying to find an easy way to close and open. Maybe slide a piece of plywood from inside to close during winter.

Top-hinged windows act as their own awnings and can be adjusted for any degree of airflow.

But unless you've got weather blowing in directly you're unlikely to need to close up in your location (unless you're in high mountains and not the mild climate that saying "California" brings to mind for people who don't live there).

Chickens tolerate cold much better than they tolerate heat -- down to 0F and below when well-acclimated. You might find this thread reassuring: https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/25324962

 

[perkolator]

Mice. Snakes. Ask me how I know.... Some folks say raccoons can reach through 1/2" HC, but I'm not sure that's a thing. But 1/2" is a thicker gage, so it's your choice. I will never do 1/2" again, personally.

Since you said -- How do you know? What predator got through your 1/2" HC?

I could see a tiny mouse or an itty bitty snake maybe fitting through - both of which a I don't find particularly threatening to a chicken who could gulp them whole

If anyone told me a raccoon could reach through 1/2" HC, I would ask if they've ever seen a raccoon before, lol

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I am thinking about adding a window using 1/2" HC to the front, and trying to find an easy way to close and open. Maybe slide a piece of plywood from inside to close during winter.

If you affix the HWC on the inside of the coop wall, you can use the section you cut out for the window and put it on hinges, so it opens from the bottom with maybe a simple chain to hold it up and it also serves as an awning.

 

[davidjkcho]

Top-hinged windows act as their own awnings and can be adjusted for any degree of airflow.

But unless you've got weather blowing in directly you're unlikely to need to close up in your location (unless you're in high mountains and not the mild climate that saying "California" brings to mind for people who don't live there).

Chickens tolerate cold much better than they tolerate heat -- down to 0F and below when well-acclimated. You might find this thread reassuring: https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/25324962

I am in NorCal and it hardly goes down below 32 degrees.
So should I leave the HC window open all the time?

 

[3KillerBs]

I am in NorCal and it hardly goes down below 32 degrees.
So should I leave the HC window open all the time?

In that kind of climate you should never need to close up much as long as you don't have wind blowing rain into the roosting area.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I now live in the mountains in California

Neighbor? Idyllwild ca here

 

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

Neighbor? Idyllwild ca here

Yep! Just a bit lower than you in Garner Valley!