I'm starting to feel bad for them

[Mr chicken dude]

Hi!

Since it has been so cold up here lately I have kept the chickens in the coop for about 3 days with me going to check on them in the morning and evening....

But me trying to keep them warm, I wasn't letting the ramp to the run down thus not giving them the option to go into the run since the last week or so the highs have been at the max 25 degrees with a nasty wind chill....

My question is exactly can I let them out without having to worry about them freezing there tushies off....

They are all well feathered and they all are EE RIR cross except for one which is 100% RIR

 

[honeydoll]

I let mine out any time except nighttime. Mine are fine. They won't go in the snow so they hang out but occasionally will run into the run for like a minute and back to the coop. But maybe some others will chime in here too.

 

[MandyH]

The temps here have been in the single digits and teens, with wind chills below zero and mine are all going about their business as usual. We threw some hay in for them to lay in and put up a wind break and that's it.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

I open the barn door in the morning and the flock wants NOTHING to do with going out. They seem pretty happy in the barn....

I put out an extra feeder full of mash and they have LOTS of room to get away from each other.

Sunday promises to be in the 20's and they WILL GO OUT if I have to kick them out.

Some of course are barn dwelling anyhow, they rarely see the light of day. The silkies in particular only go out for an hour or so and they are back in.

Sure hope the rest of the winter is better, this weather sucks.

 

[fldiver97]

I open the pop door if it is mid teens and above. They have a covered run that is partly protected by plywood as a windbarrier to abot 3.5 - 4 feet height. he hardware wire sections are covered with clear plastic or tarp. Cold but snow free and fairly well protected from the worst wind. The coop is unheated except for one heatlamp at times when it gets really bad. Coop is 8x12 for 5 big chickens but they still want to go in the run unless it is down to about 10-14 or worse. They don't stay out all day but go in and out, mostly between 10am and 2pm. They are doing fine but they still do not want to go in the snow. For the days they don't go out, I have scratch, a flock block , cabbage or head of lettuce or bunch of broccoli to keep busy in the coop.The coop temp has gotten as low as 15-16 at the worst, mostly stays 22-30 these days/nights. No frostbite, no pecking on each other, still get some eggs from the 3 GLW's. BR not laying yet but still petty young, EE about 9 months and still a freeloader

You could ty to let them out in the 'warmest' part of the day to see how they do...they may be just fine. Having a sheltered area to go out to may also help....

 

[Kittymomma]

We had a spell of cold weather here awhile back, lows in the single digits and highs in the mid-20's. Mine free range during the day. I thought they'd hang out in the barn and lean-to areas or their coop, but no they trucked around the property just like always--including wading around in the crick! Go ahead and let them out, if it's too much for them they'll go back to the coop.

 

[Mr chicken dude]

They have a heatlamp in their coop and on some of these wicked cold days the coop might get down to a low of 35 degrees but it is usually pretty good.....I know it stays above freezing because they're unheated waterer never freezes...