I got an important reminder this week about why you should never suddenly just turn out the light on chickens. My flock currently lives in an unoccupied horse barn stall. I had to go out there after dark to do something in the barn, after they'd already roosted for the night. My BF's little Silver Sebright rooster (who respects him yet hates me, BTW) flapped down from his spot to scold me--and without thinking things through properly, I ignored him, finished up what I was doing, flicked off the light, and left the barn. It did occur to me later that this wasn't a good idea, but because he hates me, I figured he'd never let me pick him up and return him to his roost.
The next morning, the poor little guy's feet were frozen solid! He could barely walk, and even had trouble standing upright. When I realized that it was due to my carelessness that he had spent the night on the ground, I felt just awful. I brought him inside, hoping to thaw out his feet. He's spent the last 2 days warming up in a dog crate in the basement. His feet appear to be functioning normally now, and I'm relieved that he's all right. I plan to reintroduce him to the outdoors again when the temperature moderates a bit.
My mistake was simply leaving him in the dark so suddenly; I should've returned him to his roost or waited for him to situate himself on his own. I am grateful that he seems to be all right, and I still feel terrible for causing him to suffer. Lesson learned!