First Winter? What temp do you wait until "turning the lamp on"?

[WalkingOnSunshine]

This right here. I try to keep reminding myself that the chickens have built in down jackets that they can't take off. I know what it feels like when I am out working in the yard and then come into the warm house. I can't wait to take that jacket off. The chickens don't have that option and are very comfortable in the cold as far as I can tell. I too keep watching their behavior to see how they are acting.

This.

To those in the south worried about your birds, you will never see temps cold enough to stress your birds. You do have to worry about heat stress--heat is far more harmful to birds than cold.

I am in Ohio, and we have snow on the ground. My birds are moulting like crazy, and some of them just look like pincushions with no feathers at all. They were all outside yesterday scratching around in the snow. If they were cold, they could go inside--the coop is always many degrees warmer than the outside, just because of the sun coming in though the windows. But most of the birds stayed out. If you watch behavior, you'll see how much they relish the colder temps.

 

[3chickchicks]

Just an update.
It's 23 degrees and they are out in the yard, pecking away and not even fluffed up. If they're comfy at this temp, I don't know how they stood the 100+ temps over last summer. They hate wind though. Yesterday they were in the coop and out of the wind. It was only 45 then.

 

[Katt66]

Just an update.
It's 23 degrees and they are out in the yard, pecking away and not even fluffed up. If they're comfy at this temp, I don't know how they stood the 100+ temps over last summer. They hate wind though. Yesterday they were in the coop and out of the wind. It was only 45 then.

Mine were out strolling around earlier as well and it's currently 27 according to my phone, and the thermometer by the coop reads 23. The wind's picked up now though and they've gone back inside the run. I'm sure once the wind dies down they'll be back out sunbathing in the snow again.