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Ours is made out of all sorts of odds and ends, including two old doors, which both have frost glass panels in them and it doesn't bother them at all. http://www.growveg.info/gallery/main.ph ... emId=30224

Ritchie. Ours is a converted kids playhouse, with with windows and our ladies seem fine too.

Contadina. I love the painting on your chook house

thesunflowergal wrote:Contadina. I love the painting on your chook house

Ta, although I think the chucks probably have more artistic merit than me

Contadina, Adorable hen house! Ours is made of old builders palets, I like to pretend it has a picket fence look to it.

Mine has 'windows' too but I get up early and let them out. They always wake up with daylight so I have no idea Richie whether keeping it dark in the henhouse will work or not.

Richie, leave the clear windows, they won't mind at all, but if you have room in the chook house for a couple of hanging feeders, you can pop those in with food & water & then it won't matter if you're late on the odd morning at all!!

That's what I do anyway..... then I don't have to bust a gut if I'm late up any day!

contadina wrote:Ours is made out of all sorts of odds and ends, including two old doors, which both have frost glass panels in them and it doesn't bother them at all. http://www.growveg.info/gallery/main.ph ... emId=30224

Wow that's really pretty, I'm going out to paint the hen house

Hi Richie,

Your henhouse sounds like a veritable hen palace!

As others have already said, don't worry about the windows, in my experience it is the sound of the dawn chorus that wakes my hens up, not the light levels in the house.

However, being a fellow er...wine appreciator I think I have found the perfect solution to the early morning dilemma.

We bought a battery operated automatic door opener. Not cheap at £100 , but absolutely the best purchase I have ever made. It is a little box that sits atop the door with wire attached to the door to open it once the light levels get to a certain point. It even closes the door at dusk. This has saved us the stress of worrying about getting home early in the winter, and having to get up in the morning. And so far (touch wood) we have not been caught out and had a fox strike.

I will find the link if you are interested - or google 'VSB' door opener. My friend got one for £40 on ebay. I am not on commission, promise, but they are fab!

And as for grass... I am sorry to say but I wouldn't bother waiting - I seeded a beautiful lawn for my lot, and it was gone within two weeks!

Good luck with your new brood.

Am I missing something everybody, but if you have a secure run, why do need to shut your hens in their house at night? Ours pop in and out when they please, safe in the knowledge they are protected in their run.