It got cold!

Last week I was chatting to the mister about possibly making some changes to the chicken's set up. Winter is coming. Our first Winter in Texas and I'm not really sure what to expect. I've heard 85 one day, ice layer the next. This got me thinking that the current chicken house is really a summer dwelling, since it was intended to help the girls sleep safely through 86 degree nights. They free range the backyard from dawn til dusk, rotating with the shade and so survived the grueling heat.
Now, about winter... If we owned the garden the shed in the property, we'd modify it and be done. But alas. We rent. We recently had a couple night dip below 40 and the days took a bit to warm back up due to 30 mph winds! I turned my imagination on overdrive and tried this;

The girls seemed to appreciate the snack break out of the wind. I didn't really expect eggs because the weather change was sudden and they get a little preoccupied staying warm on grey days anyway. Fortunately, it warmed up by afternoon for them to comfortably use their preferred nest on the porch. Now we've returned to "normal" Texas fall, a girl on winter egg-strike, and a broody hen who has now started molting. This should be interesting.