Coop/Run information needed

[jennam]

I am so excited. We took the small barn (more like a shed) that we use for our goats and used the back of it as our chicken coop. Our barn does not have a door but we have the entire1/2 acre of land around it fenced in with chain link as well as an electric fence. My original idea to have the chickens free range will not work since we have a hawks nest right above our barn. I am very new to this so I am not sure if what we did was sufficient? We just got 4 chickens (pullets) two days ago and they have been living in the enclosed barn. Today we are cutting a small hole in the bottom of the barn so they can go in and out of a run. The run will be enclosed with chicken wire and a wooden slanted roof. It will be about 12 feet by 12 feet. Is there anything missing/we need to do as far as the construction goes? Is the ventilation good enough with the barn door open? As far as the winter goes will they be warm enough (we live in MA)? The goats are fine all winter with the barn door open. Last question...I do not have anything in the coop to catch the poop. Should I put a hammock in under the roost? The floor of the barn is concrete but because of the goats it has shavings on top of it. Thanks!
I just want to do this right the first time.

 

[HEChicken]

As long as they have good ventilation but no drafts, they will probably be fine over the winter. A poop board or hammock is optional but does make it easier to keep the coop clean.

 

[jennam]

Thank you! We are in the process of building it now.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I did something similar, building a coop and run inside an open-fronted barn/shed/garage. My chickens just came thorough their first winter and the setup worked great. I actually built a additional run outside of the barn/shed/garage that they use on days when it wasn't covered in snow (they don't much like snow) but the covered run stayed dry and mostly snow-free all winter.