Have you ever had a chicken die from the cold?

[jhm47]

If the birds are well fed and feathered out, cold will likely not bother them at all. They need to be kept out of drafts, but also need some fresh air. If the air gets too damp, they will be susceptible to pneumonia.

 

[silkiechicken]

They should be just fine in the teens with enough ventilation as so humidity doesn't build up. My birds slept under tarps for our week of low teens and single digit weather. Only the moulting ones and the old ones went in.

If you expect long periods of cold, it is likly better that they stay adjusted to the cold weather and you don't keep them heated. That way, they will be acclimated and less prone to cold issues.

 

[speckledhen]

Nope, and there have been nights when the temps dropped to zero to five degrees. I leave vents open enough to vent out the moisture added by their poop and their respiration and do not heat the coops. A healthy chicken can handle the cold better than you think if it has a dry, draft-free (but ventilated) coop. The heat is much worse than cold for a chicken.

 

[newbie coops]

Our temps have been in the way-negatives several times this winter, and we have two 250-watt infrared heat lamps hanging over the roosts and have never experienced a problem with frostbite or losing a chicken to the cold. I do believe that if you have cold-climate-hardy birds and you're taking care to deep-litter them over the winter then you shouldn't have a problem with the temps. It depends on the breed and the management methods you use to winter your flock over.