I have 5 28 week old chickens...i love them dearly...It' s getting cold here in NY and I feel so bad for them..I wanna bring them inside so bad...they go in and out of the coop during the day and go in and roost at night..they dont seem to mind but when i go out to close the coop..I freeze my butt off...ARE THEIR FUZZY BUTTS FREEZING TOO???
Probably not. Their feathers keep them warm. We've had below zero temps already this year. I don't heat the coop and they were all fine. They actually have a harder time in the hot and humid weather than the cold.
I love looking at their winter fuzzy butts on the perch at night! They are extra fuzzy to keep them warm! We had a low of 12* last night and "everyone" seems fine. If yours are acting like chickens they are probably fine too. If they are sitting around all fluffed up and huddled together then they might be cold.
Maybe I'm just a meanie, but I have 12 week olds out in the big coop now, 8 of them, and they're fine and not freezing at all. It's been colder here than 'normal' for awhile... quite windy and dipping into the teens. Feathers are quite efficient at keeping them warm. Very warm. As long as they have a place to escape wind and ice/snow if they want (and when they roost at night), they'll be fine.
I have one polish mix with a brain...she goes into the coop at might. The rest sit their fuzzy butts on an outside limb in the run. Heaven forbid I should force them into the coop..such language you have never heard!
