We are getting ready for our first winter and have been reading the forums. Our coop in in a part of the garage and the outside walls are insulated. There isn't electricity in the garage, but it looks like the hens will be okay as long as they have adequate ventilation. We have ventilation at the top of the coop, 4 windows on the side that will be closed and one large picture window in the front that will be closed. The guy we bought the chickens from suggested we do the deep litter method in the coop, starting in September because it will generate heat in the coop during the winter, so we did that. I keep reading that chickens can endure the cold if they adapt to it and ours are. I hope we are doing everything right.
Last week we had a scare with a hawk swooping down, but my son was outside and scared it off. The chicken started squawking like crazy and alerted the others and then she took cover in the sunflower garden. We have a 3/4 acre lot that they free range in and the yard is surrounded by a 6 foot vinyl fence and 4 dogs that roam around. We have some gardens around the yard and we let them become overgrown to protect the girls. Now we are putting up some additional shelters around the yard for them to run to in case something comes back. Not sure if this is in vain and we welcome suggestions. They do have a covered run, but they love being in the yard.