Cold weather: free range or keep cooped?

[Oliver_Douglas]

Temps in high teens tonight, around 30 in the day. Coop is warm/heated. Question is: Should i let them out today to forage a bit? Or keep cooped??

Ground is frozen but they can eat grass, etc.

Thoughts?

 

[Strawberry74]

Open the door and see if they want to go out. Some do and some don't. Most will come out for a bit if I throw some scratch and then go back in when they are ready. They will seek shelter/warmth if they need it.

 

[Strawberry74]

It's 0 degrees here right now and some of mine are out and about.

 

[SemiSweet2391]

I opened the doors… and no one budged! It’s about 10 degrees right now. No one wanted to leave the coop so I just put some food and water in there for them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I give mine the option. Mine have chosen to go out when it was below 0 Fahrenheit. The temperature isn't so much the problem as the wind. It's perfectly calm when mine go out in cold weather. If enough of a breeze is blowing to ruffle their feathers they stay out of the wind. That might be back in the coop or it might be a wind-protected area outside.

 

[red horse ranch]

If it's above 20 degrees I let my chickens and guineas out of the coop. Some go out and some don't. If the wind is blowing most want to stay inside.

 

[AinaWGSD]

I made the executive decision to keep the chickens cooped once years ago when we had our first ever arctic blast event. I thought it would be way too cold (air temps below 0). The chickens had other ideas, they met me at the gate when I went out to give them fresh liquid water! I had forgotten to shut the pop door the night before.

Since then I let the chickens choose whether they want to stay in the coop or not. I've never had heat in any of my coops and none of my birds have even thought twice about going out on 30° days unless there was snow on the ground.

 

[Bsmac]

Temps in high teens tonight, around 30 in the day. Coop is warm/heated. Question is: Should i let them out today to forage a bit? Or keep cooped??

Ground is frozen but they can eat grass, etc.

Thoughts?

Wouldn`t bother me to let them out at 30 or even a bit less. We have an enclosed run that keeps the wind off of them. It was - 7f here this am and I won`t let them out at those temps!

 

[gimmie birdies]

My temp says 9, but the sun is out. I opened the door, they wanted out. I have heated water in coop, and water tubs I fill outside. It should get to 30 or more today, but I might keep them in longer if it was colder.

 

[fldiver97]

When I lived in Wisconsin my chickens would come out in snow and freezing cold IF I shoveled a path from the run to the back of the house ( they loved to hand out under and behind the junipers planted along the house, it was usually snow free and they had protection from the hawks and owls). They almost always came out to the run, even in subzero temperatures but my roofed run was enclosed with clear heavy plastic (leaving a few inches on top uncovered). Even I was pretty comfortable sitting with them as the wind and snow was blocked and the sun warmed it nicely.
Never had heat in the coop. All of mine are heavier birds, never had silkies or polish or bantams though.
Now in southeast Tennessee my walk in run is quite large for 20 chickens, has a metal roof but not enclosed to protect from wind…. It’s in the mid to high twenties now, a bit windy and the flock stays mostly in the unheated coop. They come out for a bit to scratch around, drink and eat but then either go in a corner that has a tarp on 2 sides or go in their very roomy coop. The coop is above freezing even though the pop door stays open, vented under the roofline but I shut the windows as they’re next to the roosts.
It will get colder, at least most nights for a bit but I think we’re good.