Should i make my chickens go in their coop at night now that is getting colder?

[Einhornjohnsonjt]

You definitely don’t have to close them up in the coop at 50 degrees, they can comfortably withstand temperatures into the teens. Your coop is also pretty tight, make sure it’s properly ventilated. My first coop was 12 square feet for 3 hens and it wasn’t vented well enough and it caused issues—

Sorry I see other responded already.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Mine are secure in coop every night & I do have windows open most times, weather permitting. Those windows are screened but several lead into 1/2" hardware cloth protective pens. I do shut the ones leading directly out, as raccoon or mice can get through screens. Mice can be creative so my plan is to make hardware cloth "shutter doors" as well. During winter I noticed windows can fog up if coop is totally shut, as chickens really produce a lot of humidity, so even with temps in the 20s a few windows are open a crack of a few inches for ventilation. I have windows on all 4 sides so it helps hot summers for air flow & run the closed motor fans. If winter temps drop to teens or below, or when we get windy snow or rain, I will shut windows but I make sure wood chips are dry & add PDZ. I get a lot of windy rain here, so I have to scoop wetness, wet chips & poo out as much as I can, & taking 20 min to scoop poop under night perches does make a huge difference in the humidity. To keep water from freezing I do have an oil filled electric heater but where I live it's rare I need it, as chickens kinda heat the space. I will be adding a fan with sealed motor & louvers to help with ventilation this spring, those times we have wind & rain that will help if I can't leave windows open. My breeds are Barred Rock, RIR, Buff Orpington, Maran, Wyandotte & Easter Egger, and no one has issues or frostbite, so far so good.