Windows in the coop

[max13077]

I was sitting here this afternoon trying to think how I want the coop to be. One thing that came to mind was windows. I have a bunch of old single pane ones from when we put new insulated windows in the house. I'm assuming it's ok to use those, but how many? Is there such a thing as too many? I love looking outside when I can't be there myself. Do chickens? I think I read something where light level and day length have something to do with productivity.... If that's true, I'd say lots of windows would be good? Thoughts....

 

[s6bee]

Hi there!

Yes, light does have an effect on production. However, in the winter, you'll never get enough natural light to be sufficient. So many folks do get electricity out to the coop to supplement with a light. They typically need 13-14 hrs. /day to lay eggs.
Anyway, windows are nice, just make sure they aren't drafty. With the cold windy winters we get here in NY it could keep them chilly. So seal them up good. My hens do enjoy looking out the window we have for them so it would be good to reuse them if possible for your coop. Once you are done with the coop, we would love to see pictures. How big will it be and how many birds do you plan?

 

[rooster-red]

The only concern with having too many windows would be your climate, single panes would not offer much in the way of insulation.

I put one on the east side of my coops to catch the early a.m. sun.

 

[max13077]

I have a 12'X8' structure in mind. I have 18 hens right now and another 10 straight run on the way. However any of the newbie’s that are roo’s are going into a temp. coop out in back to be raised for future dinners. So if we go half and half hens to roo’s, we’d be at or slightly above max capacity @ 4sqr foot/bird.

I plan on doing a step by step photo journal when we start building. That may be a while....

I’m at about 1700 feet in elevation. The snow stays quite a while longer than just a little ways down the road. It’s nice and cool though in the summer.

The weather is something I’ve thought a lot about when designing the coop. It’s so funny to see the landscape here on top of the hill. The wind blows almost everyday of the year. Almost never do you see a calm day start to finish. Because of this, trees are comical to see. Since the wind is predominantly from the NW, all the trees have a humorous SE pointing curl to them!!! We just got a new weather station for Christmas. Our average wind speed since then has been 14.7mph. That might not sound like a lot, but it is when you consider it's had to be blowing like that 24/7. The peak gust was @ 78.32mph. So a lot of consideration has gone into how I can protect my girls from the wind and cold once winter comes around.

I’m thinking I want the windows mostly in the east and south facing portions of the coop. That will prevent having to try and seal out those wicked winds. I have been redoing the old windows; scraping off the old paint, replacing the caulk, and putting a new coat of paint on them. We’ll see how it all turns out.

Thanks for the advice!!! I can’t wait to start!!!

 

[plapczynski]

Windows will also help to let the chickens know who's coming up to the coop. In other words you won't scare them when you open the door up.

 

[max13077]

I went outside and snapped a pic. The red lines represent where the coop with go, kind of try to fit it into the hole between those three trees. Bye bye old dog house. It was frozen down so I couldn't move it... The pen is represented by the yellow. It will wrap back around the coop on the other side as well.

 

[Reinbeau]

Quote:
We've got some windows we're going to use, but we're worried about venting it at the top - I think it's a Cori-vent for the ridge - will that cause too much draft? I thought it was good to keep air circulation going in the coop during the winter.

We've got a couple of basement type windows we're planning on using, and I want one to be down low for the girls to look out of.


Max 13077, do you have drawn plans for your coop? I'm thinking of doing 10x10, however, 8x12 will give me almost the same square footage - if you have plans to share I'd love to check them out!

 

[max13077]

My plans are quite unprofessional....

I just kind of drew a rectangle and added where I thought stuff should go.

It's basically a 8X12 shoebox shape with a slant roof. If you were looking at it from the side, the front would be 7 feet or so and the rear slants down to about 5 feet. Once I start building, the exact pitch of the roof will be determined. I just have to see how it would look to be sure.

I was going to do a 8x8. However that was kind of small. Then I was going to do a 10x10 but figured that why not just make it easy with the plywood etc; 3 pieces wide, 2 pieces thick. You still have to cut for the roof but not rip the pieces too.

 

[patandchickens]

More windows are probably always better (your idea of having them mainly on the E and S sides sounds smart, but you might want to have *some* sort of window or openable vent on at least the W side, for times when you want to try to GET air moving thru the coop). It is always easy enough to close 'em off (to air, to light, to heat loss, to whatever degree you need depending on how you cover them).

I would worry just a little about the corrugated ridge vent that someone mentioned... a) you will not get *much* ventilation thru it, and b) my experience with horse barns is that there is no such thing as a snowproof ridge vent (snow = moisture = something you do not need more of in the coop). Unless you can find a buncha people who've used it in their coops in windy snowy areas with no problem, I'd suggest not being the first on your block to try it, you know?

Have fun,

Pat

 

[Corey NC]

If you have windows avalible then that is great. I did something a little different but I love it and they get plenty of light. My coop has a see-through roof.