Do you let your chickens outside in bitter cold weather?

[MissE]

Even if it's well below 0, mine want to be in the run once the sun is up. They have wind blocks. I let them decide where to be.

 

[Sally PB]

The wild birds are out and about. As long as your chickens have a dry place to get out of the cold, they can keep themselves warm. They're wearing down jackets, after all. Something to block the wind, something to keep the snow off at least part of the run, and they'll come out if they want to.

Ventilation in the coop is very important to keep the moisture from building up. That can lead to frostbite.

I have the pop door open from daylight to dusk. The food is in the coop, but water is out in the run. On the really cold days last week, I put a pan of snow in the coop. Sometimes they ate a lot of it, sometimes they didn't and came out for water.