Windows - Need Help Selecting!

[Sledrock]

Hello all - I hope your chickens are doing great and with-standing the heat and and steering clear of any potential predators!

I am in the Design Phase of building a new Hen House. I've searched high and low for a used storage shed I could convert into a hen-house. Most are not made very well and then there's the problem/cost of getting it moved to my location. The Commercial ones they deliver or "build-on-site" are pure junk for the price they charge :-(

So I've come to the conclusion I can build a much nicer one, designed exactly to my specs, for less money....


The one I'm planning will be 12' x 12' with an 8' (Shed type, Sloping) Roof. It will house 20 hens, and subtracting square footage from the interior walls, it would come out to be approx 11.5' x 11.5' on the interior - roughly 132 square foor, which equates to about 6 1/2 square feet per bird.

I've been scratching my head on what type of windows and what size to select that would be appropriate for 20 hens....

I'm thinking Wide (and not too tall) horizontal sliders might work best. I could mount them up high and since they slide sideways I could keep the drafts to a minimum vs windows that are tall and raise from the bottom. Of course, if I got double-hung, I could open the top window instead of the bottom one.

Any thoughts on window size and style, and mounting height?

Thanks in advance for any help!
- Dennis

P.S. I have 10 RIR and 10 Barred Rock chicks to be delivered on August 4th. I already have a 3'x8" brooder for the chicks. (So I have a little time getting the hen house built and a run ready.)

One other question: At what age should I move the older chicks to the new hen house?

 

[Nostalchic]

A couple of thoughts... Sliders have tracks, and depending on the design, those will fill up with dirt and dust and may be really hard to clean and keep operable. We put some in our barn, which is way less dusty that a coop, and that was not a wise choice. When we built our coop, we bought three big old wooden double hung windows from a construction recycling center for about $30 each. They were in good shape and have worked out perfectly. I put hardware cloth over the bottom half (or you could do the top half if you're worried about drafts, but my hens really like the part of the roost that is right by the window on warm summer nights) on the inside of the coop, reinforced with wood strips and washers, so I can safely leave them open at night. I can clean them easily, they allow lots of light and air into the coop, and they look great (they must have come from tearing down an old house - I got an old door from probably the same house, looks great - with just a little paint). Depending on your location, face the coop south to maximize sun in the winter, and minimize direct sun in the summer - best move ever. We got lots of the materials for our 8x14' coop from recycling places, and leftovers around here, seems like a good way to go.

 

[Unclebean]

We used awning windows in our coop. I've been able to keep the windows open even when it rains which is nice. Awning windows are also cheap!

 

[kichohana]

Quote:
Unclebean your coop is adorable!

I also used a recycled window hung from hinges at the top for my main window, and i built a wood frame window for the opposite wall of my coop that opens into the run so i get good cross-ventilation. it was way cheaper to build a small window than to buy one, but i particularly love my recycled one. check out my BYC page for pictures.

 

[SandyK]

Home Depot has the windows that are generally used in basements where the top pulls towards you. Can't think of what they call them. Anyway, they cost $68 and we are planning on putting three of them across the one side high up on the wall for ventilation.