how cold can chickens take it before needing heater?

My brother-in-law is in Alaska. This time of year there is very little light. The temperature has been 0 (zero) during the days. He only has a heater to keep the water from freezing. He just added a light so he could extend the hours in the day to trick the birds into laying again.
 
when you say young, how young? Mine are all (6) about 6 months old and I built a wood coop with wood panels to cover most of their screened vents. I have run they can walk down into and they love it. Problem is...how do you get them in for the night so they dont freeze? Its in the low 30's at night here in Californis, Sacramento area. No snow but feels like it would...I am worried they will get too cold for them. Any ideas or sugestions will be appreciated...from anyone. I am still new into this but I just love my girls...Oh, they were.. gulp ...raised indoors untill two days ago.
 
i was wondering how cold chickens could tolerate before they would need a heater in the coop?

i have a digital thermometer that transmits from the garage coop and so far the lowest temp the coop has reached has been 37 degrees at night. the garage is insulated and the coop has been too (actually for sound proofing).
I'm wondering how big your coop is. How many birds? Your window is closed, so, what openings do you have in that coop for ventilation? That's the biggest need. Otherwise all of the moisture from their respiration and poop will make a humid environment that puts them at huge risk of frost bite. Also, what are you using for a perch? Northern chickens do best on a wide perch that allows them to keep their feet flat so their belly feathers cover their toes. We've had 2 severe winters with day time temps that didn't even get up to 0*F for days at a time. During that time, I let the chicken's behavior tell me if they needed any extra heat. When they become more lethargic... standing around with feathers puffed, not scratching around and acting "chickeny", when their feed consumption goes down. I know it's time to give a bit of heat. Yes, "they say" that chickens do not need supplemental heat, and they've been surviving for years without it, and Grandma never had heat for her chickens. BUT, Grandma's flock was most likely bigger, and kept in a barn full of hay, with plenty of 4 footed animals, and manure... all of which are wonderful heat generators. Today's flock may be kept in a tiny little coop, consist of just a few birds, and have very little litter to snuggle down in. I'm not advocating for providing heat. I'm just saying that you need to be able to listen to what your birds are telling you.
 

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