posted 4 days ago
Emma I'm afraid you get the typical permaculture answer. It depends.
I live in N. California, and have a very open coop. In the winter I put a couple of corrugated steel panels up so my hens are not getting wet on the roosting bars if it rains. It's kinda closed in on 3 sides in the back of the coop, and the rest is pretty much chicken wire. For me I have to worry more about the heat than the cold.
How cold will it get where you live?
I hope someone else chimes in, we think we are freezing to death if it gets into the 30s, so I'm probably not the best source. Good luck.
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” — Abraham Lincoln