I am currently preparing a winter run/coop for my 9 bantam hens. The coop/run is portable, easy to move and disassemble, and "decorated" for the winter blahs with murals on opposite ends of the structure. There are nesting boxes and roosts as well as access to electrical outlets for water heaters. A bit of background: We live in upstate New York near the Canadian border where temperatures in January can dip to -30. Outside of our back garage door is patio with a cement foundation and tin roof about 15' x 6' that gets sun most of the day in the winter months. Since the garage extends beyond the patio, there is a nice alcove where this new run would fit against the house and be easily accessible from INSIDE the garage on those nasty days. We built (2) 4'x6' frames - primed and painted. They can attach or be used individually as small runs / brooders in the off season. With the aluminum roof of the patio, we have "built in" weather protection and only need predator protection for the coop/run. The frames will be attached and thus yield a 4' x 12' enclosure. One 6' side of each frame will be against the back of the house and covered in plywood. The other 6' sides of the frame will be divided in 2. Each frame will receive a 3' gate. The 4' of the frame end facing out will be covered in 3' high plywood with recessed nesting boxes above. The other 4' end will be placed against the garage door opening will also be covered with 3' high plywood with a hardware cloth covered access door above. The access door will act as a ventilation port as it is downwind and in a sheltered area. The 2 frames that are joined (yielding 12') that face the sun will get plexiglass panels to shield the hens from the weather and allow them to enjoy the sunshine. The 2 gates will allow outdoor access for cleaning and replenishing bedding when needed. The floor will be raised with foam insulation board placed over the cement and covered with 1/2" removable plywood flooring. The flooring will be covered by a tarp stapled in place for easy clean up. Litter will be pine shavings. The nesting boxes will have slanted roofing which will lift up from the outside for access to the eggs. Finally, I will paint a mural on a white background (to increase brightness inside the run) for the chickens to enjoy! Finally, the top of this structure will receive chicken wire covered lattice on hinges for further access and ventilation when needed. In severe or cold weather, the top will be layered in plywood for protection against blowing snow and severe cold. There are electrical outlets close by for the water heater. In the event of very severe weather and/or an electrical outage, I can access the hens at any time via the garage door as the placement of the perches will allow me to retrieve them easily. All food is kept in plastic 55 gallon trash bins with snap on lids in the garage and away from the coop/run to discourage rodents. Water is always available and food is offered during the daylight hours only in hanging containers that discourage waste. Note that food kept in the sleeping area can encourage vermin and poor watering system can lead to wet bedding. That, in tandem with droppings and wet feed can really stink as well as add to problems with humidity. I do not want to rely on an external heat source as any interruption in power would be disastrous if we were not at home. So far, I have built the frames and walls, painted them and cut the cut and painted the pieces for the gates. I have my 1/2 walls painted and am readying to paint the murals. I hope the chickens like the new run! I will post pictures when it is done! PS - The idea came from an emergency situation where I was given 4 hens that were too young to integrate into the existing flock. I was going away for the weekend and needed temporary shelter. The original (unpainted) and very bare 4' x 6' run that was constructed in a few hours worked out beautifully and evolved into the idea for our new "winter" coop/run!
