How to Keep Small Livestock in a Greenhouse in Winter

A simple hobby greenhouse with a dirt floor is all that's needed to combine with a garden shed to create a chicken greenhouse.

Permaculture is a form of agriculture that combines both plants and animals. Chickens and greenhouses make the perfect combination to address this type of agriculture. The process to create the chicken greenhouse is simple. Utilize a hobby greenhouse and garden shed, and add the chickens. This type of production allows you to have eggs and vegetables while warming the greenhouse. Also, allowing chickens in a greenhouse helps eliminate many pest problems.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic-covered hobby greenhouse, 18 feet by 20 feet
• Yard shed, 18 feet by 20 feet
• 2 dog doors
• Jigsaw
• Hammer
• Pieces of window screen, 2 to 4 feet by 6 feet
• Staple gun with staple
• 32 cinder blocks
• 40 large plastic mixing bowls
• Knife
• Straw

Instructions

1. 

   Placing a greenhouse with the walls facing the cardinal directions helps optimize solar radiation.

   Set up the hobby greenhouse so that the door faces westward.

2. 

   A simple garden shed can easily become a chicken coop for a chicken greenhouse.

   Place the yard shed on the east end of the hobby greenhouse. Peel the plastic from that end and attach to shed with staples.

3. 

   Small "doggie doors" are big enough for chickens to walk through and get into the greenhouse.

   Cut two rectangular holes near the bottom of the shed and attach "doggie doors."

4. 

   These windows allow the heat generated by the chickens to enter the greenhouse.

   Cut two 3 feet-by-5 feet windows in the same end as the doggie doors. Attach window screen to this area with staples.

5. 

   Cinder blocks are used as brackets to hold up a nesting shelf.

   Build nesting shelf in garden shed by laying out two cinder blocks every foot along the north side of the shed. Continue to do this until you reach 16 feet.

6. 

   Plywood can be turned into a nesting shelf for chickens.

   Bring in one 4 feet-by-8 feet piece of plywood and lay across cinder blocks. Bring in the other 4 feet-by-8 feet and repeat.

7. 

   An inexpensive nesting box can be made out of a large plastic mixing bowl.

   Cut a 6-inch door into each plastic bowl and fill 1/4 full with straw.

8. 

   Straw makes perfect nesting material.

   Place nesting boxes under the shelf in the garden shed. Place straw on top of the nesting shelf.

Tips & Warnings

• Monitor the temperature in the greenhouse when chickens are raised in the chicken greenhouse; 40 chickens can raise the greenhouse temperature by 8 degrees F.

• In the spring and summer, the chickens can be released out the backdoor of the garden shed into a chicken run or garden.

References

• National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service: Organic Greenhouse Vegetable Production: Horticulture Systems Guide
• Natural Life Magazine: The Multi-Function Chicken
• Transiton Culture: In Search of the Fabled Permaculture Chicken/Greenhouse
• Mother Earth News: Mother's Bioshelter Greenhouse
• Michigan State University: Permaculture Greenhouse System: Integrating Greenhouse and Poultry Production (FNC 1996-139)