Do chickens know enough to come in out of the cold?

[Akane]

If it doesn't get below about 0F where you are I wouldn't worry too much about chickens not going in to the coop when it's cold. I've seen chickens shivering at 40F that were then fine well into the negatives farther in to winter so that's not always an indication that they are in real trouble. I'm not sure why chickens seem to shiver so easily and then can be seen running about in much colder weather a week later. I did have a little bantam with a bad leg that I finally moved back to the pen on the porch with the chicks and now into the new serama coop because I repeatedly found her huddled up in the doorway waiting for me. She most likely wouldn't survive our winters sleeping there. I would worry about predators wiping out any flock that doesn't sleep in a coop at night.