We live in a valley that can get as cold as -36 F. We have survived three winters without the loss of one chicken or production. Our hens perch and drop their dung directly to the open ground where it dries. These photos show a years worth of dung that has not been removed yet. It drys and turns to powder. We will shortly scoop it and scatter in our garden. During the coldest months, we do close of the sides with plywood, but we still leave one face open to the air. The other three sides help block the wind and snow drifts from coming in.