Yeah, I know what you mean. I think the chickens are conflicted between their desire to go out and hunt and peck, and their fear of having cold feet. On snow, my hens will often time-out to squat on their feet to warm them up, or they'll stand on one leg and pull the other leg up under. I've...
You can allow them to go outside as they wish. Mine will go out almost every day including winter, unless I open the door and they have some fear of a big snow for example. It also depends if you have a winter-hardy breed or not. My Buff Orpingtons and RIRs are heavy birds with a ton of...