This is my first winter with chickens..I have a house for them to go into and they sleep in it sometimes but sometimes they want to sleep up higher ontop of the house...I have about thirteen chickens in that coop and about five or six go ontop of the house...they are about 12-16 weeks old and fully feathered. Not sure exactly how old but between 12-16 got them as chicks.
I live in SC and lately its been in the mid to low 40's at night...during the winter it will average 20-40 degrees..Should I make them go back i nteh house at night or leave them where they want to lay...will they get too cold?
I have one Grown Buff Orpington..Two Grown Rhode Island Reds..1 Lavender Ameracauna(Probably about 6 months)...Most of the chicks that lay are Rhode Island Reds/Ameracauna/White Leg horn mix. The house is made of plywood with no windows just the opening to go in and out...but the coop is made of wood and hardware cloth so when they lay on top of the house you can feel the wind blowing.
Should I let them do what they want as far as roosting or put them in the house at night? Especially when it snows or rains or the wind is really blowing.
I live in SC and lately its been in the mid to low 40's at night...during the winter it will average 20-40 degrees..Should I make them go back i nteh house at night or leave them where they want to lay...will they get too cold?
I have one Grown Buff Orpington..Two Grown Rhode Island Reds..1 Lavender Ameracauna(Probably about 6 months)...Most of the chicks that lay are Rhode Island Reds/Ameracauna/White Leg horn mix. The house is made of plywood with no windows just the opening to go in and out...but the coop is made of wood and hardware cloth so when they lay on top of the house you can feel the wind blowing.
Should I let them do what they want as far as roosting or put them in the house at night? Especially when it snows or rains or the wind is really blowing.