How cold is too cold for chickens?

[Anon112]

This past Thursday morning I watched in horror as my chicken shed went up in flames killing half my flock, lighting trees on fire and almost catching the house. Please, please use some other way of keeping them warm. Heat lamps are absolutely deadly.

How awful. I'm so sorry for your loss!

I had a much less dramatic moment of swearing off heat lamps when one got hit with a small droplet of water and exploded, spraying shards of glass all over, but thankfully not badly harming the chicks who were nearby.

 

[Anon112]

For the OP:

Keeping them out of the wind is really important, but so is good ventilation. You don't want to cut off too much air flow, or else moisture can build up which can combine with cold temps to cause frostbite or a bad chill.

I let mine sleep "open air" if they want to down into the teens. Once it's lower than that, I insist that they roost in the side of the run that is more shielded from the wind.