Should i put a light in the coop for during the day?

[Spetznaaz]

If it's raining and the coop window is closed it's pretty dark in there, i wonder if they may struggle seeing their food and water. I was thinking about putting some sort of battery powered (or solar) light on a sensor that only operates during the day. So when they go in during the day it will come on so they can see there food and what not but will not turn on after a certain time as to not interrupt their sleep.

What are everyone's thoughts on this?

 

[igorsMistress]

It certainly wouldn’t hurt anything if you do. It’s really up to you and what you think is best.

 

[SueT]

Show us pics of your coop and set up. I use a plexiglass panel to cover the window to let light in our coop window during the cold months. But we also have a light I manually turn on in the mornings and off in the evening. (We have electricity to the coop, but there are lots of non electric options.) I think it would be a good idea to figure out lighting.

 

[Spetznaaz]

Show us pics of your coop and set up. I use a plexiglass panel to cover the window to let light in our coop window during the cold months. But we also have a light I manually turn on in the mornings and off in the evening. (We have electricity to the coop, but there are lots of non electric options.) I think it would be a good idea to figure out lighting.

I'll go and get some pics in a minute, i've been wanting to show it off lol

I was actually thinking about using some sort of plastic, like a hood for the window that still allows air flow but stops rain coming in. That may actually be a better option thinking about it.

I have an Omlet door with a light so that does come on 5 minutes before closing time but the chickies are usually already in there asleep by then.

 

[Spetznaaz]

Some pics of the coop and run. Still need to put wood chips down in the run as it's just pure mud at the moment. The tarp over the run is a temporary roof until i can afford to build a proper one. Please forgive the state of the garden, i've been doing lot's of building lol

View through the window:

 

[K0k0shka]

Do you have any ventilation in that coop? The window doesn't count as ventilation if you need to close it. Ventilation needs to be permanently open, positioned where it won't blow directly on the chickens when they roost, and protected from rain/snow being blown in by the wind. In your location, you probably won't have to worry about snow, but rain can blow in from that window. So when you close the window, you need to have something else open elsewhere for ventilation, high up, and you also need a window or two that has glass or plexiglass on it, to allow light to come in. Quickest quick fix in this case would be to put a sheet of plexiglass over this window, so you can keep the shutter open but stop rain from blowing in, and allow light to come in. And definitely cut proper ventilation somewhere high up. That would be hard to do on this coop... not the best design and it's very small... No roof overhangs to protect any vents high up. Maybe leave part of the current window open at the top (only cover the bottom 2/3 with plexiglass) and put an awning above it to protect the opening from rain. How many chickens do you keep in there? And where do they sleep? It's hard to see the roost position from the pictures. Looks like there's a roost across from the feeder/waterer, but it looks like it's lower than the bar supporting the feeder and waterer. They may want to sleep on the thicker bar, and poop in their food and water.

 

[DickMidnight]

i second all of what @K0k0shka said above.

and i’ll also add that moving the food and water out into the run would be a good idea

 

[Spetznaaz]

Do you have any ventilation in that coop? The window doesn't count as ventilation if you need to close it. Ventilation needs to be permanently open, positioned where it won't blow directly on the chickens when they roost, and protected from rain/snow being blown in by the wind. In your location, you probably won't have to worry about snow, but rain can blow in from that window. So when you close the window, you need to have something else open elsewhere for ventilation, high up, and you also need a window or two that has glass or plexiglass on it, to allow light to come in. Quickest quick fix in this case would be to put a sheet of plexiglass over this window, so you can keep the shutter open but stop rain from blowing in, and allow light to come in. And definitely cut proper ventilation somewhere high up. That would be hard to do on this coop... not the best design and it's very small... No roof overhangs to protect any vents high up. Maybe leave part of the current window open at the top (only cover the bottom 2/3 with plexiglass) and put an awning above it to protect the opening from rain. How many chickens do you keep in there? And where do they sleep? It's hard to see the roost position from the pictures. Looks like there's a roost across from the feeder/waterer, but it looks like it's lower than the bar supporting the feeder and waterer. They may want to sleep on the thicker bar, and poop in their food and water.

I'm surprised you say the coop is really small, you should have seen the size of the prefabricated ones that say they can hold 10+ chickens. I built the run myself but we got the coop second hand, it's about 4ft x 4ft x 4ft. It's very sturdy but yeah it's not perfect.

There isn't any other ventilation but the coop is very airy (an issue i was planning to fix the best i can). I could add a vent on the roof or maybe the side near the top, it could be difficult though as you say. I do worry about it being too drafty in there for them though, we get some awful wind around here.

I think i'll do what you suggested and cover the window with something clear then add some ventilation.

We have two Silkies currently, may get two Araucanas one day. The big thick bar was the original roosting bar but it was way too high and possibly too thick, i've never seen them up on it. I added my own one which is a branch, in the middle of the coop much lower however i've never seen them use that one either - Not sure if it's just because Silkies don't typically roost or if it's too thin for them but i plan to replace that one with a 2 x 3 to see if that makes a difference. They currently sleep huddled up in a corner, although at the moment one of them has gone broody and hasn't left her nesting box (you can see her poking out in the photo).

i second all of what @K0k0shka said above.

and i’ll also add that moving the food and water out into the run would be a good idea

What's the reasoning behind putting the food and water outside?

I did some reading when i was trying to decide and it seemed like the general consensus was it's personal preference. I've heard people have trouble with their Silkies coming in at night - Ours are in the coop every night before the door closes automatically and i wondered if the food and water being in there helped with that. They seem to regularly go in the coop during the day whenever they are hungry or thirsty.

 

[K0k0shka]

I'm surprised you say the coop is really small, you should have seen the size of the prefabricated ones that say they can hold 10+ chickens.

Those prefabs are a joke, shouldn't be used as any kind of standard to compare against at all. We call them dollhouses on BYC, because that's what they are good for - dolls, not chickens Or maybe as a brooder, or isolation/quarantine unit etc. but not as an actual coop.

The problem with small coops like yours (yes it's small, maybe not as tiny as some prefabs but still small) is that it's hard to ventilate them well, because they don't have enough height. 4x4 on the floor could be fine, if the whole structure was taller, so you'd have enough vertical space for a roost plus ventilation that's high enough not to blow at the chickens directly. In your case, you could probably get away with less height if you stick with silkies, because they don't roost high, if they roost at all. Their fluffy feathers are cute, but defective by their very nature, and can't properly do the job feathers evolved to do - give birds flight (or help with jumping, as with flightless birds), and insulate them from hot/cold/moisture. Humans like to breed defective animals if they look cute, and propagate their flaws (just look at some dog breeds, that can't breathe or walk properly...) So anyway, that's why silkies don't like to roost high, or at all - they can't jump the way normal chickens can. And they can't keep warm the way normal chickens can, so they huddle for warmth (normal chickens don't huddle for warmth once fully grown - their feathers insulate them and don't let heat escape, so they can't heat up their buddy with their own body heat). If the roost is low enough and wide enough, they might take to it. It's better to help them out with the setup, and maybe put them up on the roost for a while, to teach them to roost. Some can be okay sleeping on the floor, but they run the risk of sleeping in their own poop and messing themselves up, which can create other problems.

Anyway, back to ventilation. Being "airy" doesn't count as ventilation. The space is still pretty small, and, regardless, you need an active exchange of air with the outside, to get fresh air in. In addition to moisture, the air in the coop is also laden with ammonia vapor from their poop. That's harmful to their respiratory systems. Theirs are more sensitive than ours, so what might seem and smell fine to you, may not be so fine to them. If they sleep on the floor or very low, that's even worse, because they are closer to the poop (if not rolling in it). You need the moist, poopy air to be able to vent out and be replaced by clean, fresh, dry air from outside. So the coop definitely needs a vent. I'd start with the existing window, dual-purposing it to act as a vent at the top and for light at the bottom (covered with something transparent), and not add any large fowl breeds to the silkies. The larger, normally-feathered birds will want to roost high and will be all over that thick bar, pooping into the feed and water. And the more birds you add, the more ventilation you'll need, because they'll poop and breathe more...

Water inside vs. outside is a personal preference as well as dependent on your setup and climate. And whether you have rodents nearby. I don't like to have food outside, day or night, because I don't want to attract rats, squirrels, wild birds and everybody else who'd like a free meal. They are usually afraid to go into an enclosed space, so even with the pop door open during the day, they tend to not venture inside. And I like to keep my water outside, to avoid any spills in the coop or chickens stepping in it or messing it up with pine shavings. They have an auto door that opens at sunrise, and can go out and drink all they want. They don't eat or drink at night, so they don't need either in the coop, I only keep my feeder in the coop to keep it safe from other animals. The only time I've brought water inside the coop is during very heavy snowstorms, when the run cover can't keep all the snow out and I can't keep up with shoveling, and the chickens don't want to go out. But that's really only like once or twice per year, and not something you need to worry about over there

 

[Kanekoded]

I'm surprised you say the coop is really small, you should have seen the size of the prefabricated ones that say they can hold 10+ chickens.

Those pre-fab coops are such a farce. They advertise them to look like walk-ins when really they're only about chest high with claims that they hold x amount of chickens... yeah, IF you're planning on packing 'em in like sardines!