What up grades should I do?

[Glenthehen]

I have 8 chicks. I was thinking of using plexiglass to fully enclose it. The coop is roughly 8’ long and 3’ wide. I live in north Idaho. I do plan on building a run in the for them to get out and exercise. They will also have free range of the yard in the evenings and weekends.

 

[nuthatched]

Enclose the top half with plywood, with proper ventilationan, add a floor and that will make the top half big enough for 8 birds.

 

[Glenthehen]

Enclose the top half with plywood, with proper ventilationan, add a floor and make the top half big enough for 8 birds.

I was thinking of plexiglass to enclose the top, just so it wouldn’t be so dark? Is that a bad idea??

 

[nuthatched]

I was thinking of plexiglass to enclose the top, just so it wouldn’t be so dark? Is that a bad idea??

Yes, hens like privacy. They're also prey animals so being under constant observation would cause their health to deteriorate.
You can add windows, of course. I'd put a window at the end on hinges fir cleaning. And ventilation lets in light, one square foot per bird, I'd just leave a gap at the top of the wall under the roof overhang, the entire length, both sides, 4 inches.

 

[WhiteCollarWeezy]

birds of any feather can get confused thinking they can see,fly or run through the plexiglass ...great coop tho.. ventilation is key. Keeps disease and parasites ata minimum

 

[UrbanHomesteadTX]

I agree with the others.

Another thing to note if you went the plexiglass route, it's a good way to cook your birds in the summertime. Plexiglass isn't quite as bad as glass, but sunlight through plexiglass will intensify the heat, and doing an entire enclosure with the stuff will turn it into an oven when it's hot. It's not such a problem if it's used as a window, but using it for anything more, especially without good ventilation would turn anything into a greenhouse style environment.