It's 34 degrees and my chickens won't go in the coop.

[ehoneybee]

Should I just let them go in when they want? I put them in tonight but they always roost outside on the coop. Do they know when it's too cold to be outside?

 

[CannedMonster]

I would consider the size of the coop itself before shutting them in.
Go out at sunset or as soon after as you can, and put each one in the coop and shut them in until morning.
Do this for as long as it takes for them to start going in on their own.
Chickens naturally want to roost high in trees.
We humans put them in coops to keep them safe from predators but a coop around sunset is a dark scary place...very cave-like.
They don’t want to go in but will soon realize it’s safe.
I’ve found my birds are more likely to go in sooner if I have windows and doors open so there’s more light for them to see by.

 

[aart]

Should I just let them go in when they want? I put them in tonight but they always roost outside on the coop. Do they know when it's too cold to be outside?

Is the coop(your avatar?) inside a predator, and weather, proof run?
If that is your coop, it's too small for the 6 birds shown..
More info, and pics, on present setup would help immensely.

 

[Howard E]

To piggyback onto what @aart suggests, when birds refuse to use a coop, most times they are voting with their feet. What they find outside is more to their liking than the coop you have provided. If given a choice, and they are going elsewhere, the problem is with the housing, not the birds.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Do they normally sleep in the coop?
Did you train them to sleep in the coop?

 

[NoFlyBackFarm]

That's not good. It can lead to predator problems, shut them in the coop for 5-6 days, so they go in at night. Get a second opinion, I may be wrong

 

[AlleysChicks]

I have about 5 that roost in the run. They started in the summer and now it’s 25F and they are still out there.

 

[lutherpug]

That's not good. It can lead to predator problems, shut them in the coop for 5-6 days, so they go in at night. Get a second opinion, I may be wrong

Agree, 34 degrees isn't a big deal at all. I would be much more concerned about predation.

 

[NoFlyBackFarm]

Yes but I have another coop. One has 3 chickens and the other has 4. The 4 fit into a larger coop. I've had them for over a year and the only predators we seem to have are hawks. I closed the original hens in all winter but I got these girls in spring.

Okay, still any predator is dangerous in the cold. I lost some, that’s why I’m warning so much

 

[aart]

If given a choice, and they are going elsewhere, the problem is with the housing, not the birds.

Exactly!