Chickens in the Basement

When the chickens started started dieing, we built a temporary home for them in the basement. 

Temporary chicken coop

 It's just the space under the stairs, about three feet wide and 10 feet long.  There was a pole conveniently located from ceiling to floor in the corner, which made sectioning the space off very simple.  We put in a little door way and wrapped the whole thing in plastic.  Plastic of course, is not the best for ventilation, however it does protect the birds from the smoke that escapes the fire box.

Normally this space is reserved for overnighters- large pieces of firewood that we don't split, used to keep the fire from going out over night.  They had to be moved before we could bring the chickens in. 

The plastic is held in place by firewood at the bottom, and stapled to the top of the stairs and wall at the top.

Rooster with three remaining hens

Surprisingly, with just the four of them, it really doesn't smell.  I give them a coffee can of fresh shavings every two or three days, and that seems to be plenty to keep the smell down.

They made an escape a couple of times, the door wasn't closed properly and they were roaming loose in the morning.  That was messy.  They seem to have gotten into everything.

They don't currently have proper nesting boxes, just a cardboard box on the floor.

They'll stay inside now until the grass starts growing in the spring, or the temps at least stabilize over night.