SHELTER

Shelter is a major consideration for birds outside in all parts of the country.
For many of us the weather has become much more unpredictable, and that tends to mean wetter, or at least more showery. Chickens are not fond of the rain, ducks quite like it in moderation.
For chickens its vital that they have plenty of places to get under cover, and all year around.

Deciduous bushes are fine in the summer but scant shelter in the winter. Trees are a windbreak but most do not protect from getting wet. When siting the hen house its best to think about where birds can get cover. Evergreen bushes are great places for chooks.

If you are moving the house around the garden through the year then think ahead to leave the most sheltered part of the garden for the winter.
One of the major advantages of the Electric Poultry Netting is that it allows you to control which areas the birds use but to incorporate shrubs etc into their area each time.
A dry place is also essential to maintain all year around so the birds can dust bathe. It can be hard for them in the winter to find dry enough soil, this can lead to a build up of skin parasites.
Overhead cover is not only required for birds in damp / wet areas, heat stress is also a critical factor for birds well-being. They are very bad at taking in more water in hot conditions and it can quickly become fatal. A shady area is important in hot places.
If you have nothing natural to protect your birds you will have to provide it in other ways - some keep fewer birds in their hen house to enable them to be comfortable inside for extended periods of time. The stocking rates for coops are those for roosting. If this is going to be the only area that that birds can shelter in as well, then you need to understock by a bit. How much depends on how much time they are likely to spend inside. We are in the wet West Coast of Scotland and most of our poultry houses have only half the number of birds they could do.
The other way is to provide a covered run. This can be either like the link given just now, which can be moved with the house, or one you build in situ. It is best to fill the area with deep bark, so it does not turn into mud, which in turn becomes bacteria soup.

Ducks tend to use their house little in the day, and seem to prefer to brave the elements, but they do appreciate natural windbreaks and shelter from the worst of the wind and rain. You can tell when they are getting really fed up, as they sit very upright making themselves as narrow as possible.
While ducks enjoy being wet, constant persistant rain can be hard work for them as they are constantly having to preen to maintain their waterproofness, this is draining on energy and the bodies resources. In these conditions some maize mixed in their ration is beneficial.

Tim and Jill Bowis
Kintaline Mill Farm, Benderloch, OBAN Argyll PA37 1QS Scotland
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