Temperature in coop....when is it too cold?

[doIreallylikeeggsthismuch]

My chickens are 21 weeks old. I have an amazing coop that is insulated better than my house but our night temperatures have dropped into the teens with day time highs in the 50's. Do I need to turn on a heat lamp for them. They seem healthy and happy. BUT they are 21 weeks and ONLY 1 out 13 has layed an egg.........Does this have to do with the temperature?

 

[woodmort]

First, where do you live that gets temperatures like that this early. Second, it depends on how big the coop is and how many birds--if it is insulated well their body heat will be enough as long as it is well vented. Finally, it depends on the breed of bird. The biggest problem with cold is frozen combs and those breeds with small combs are less apt to have problems. All I know is my chickens are fine in a coop where the temperatures get down low enough to freeze the water in an 8-gallon waterer that is sitting on a galvanized heater. The only problem is that I occasionally get a frozen egg but the birds are fine and lay better in the cold than this heat. Also right now I have 32 14-week old pullets and I expect them to be fine once we get temperatures like that at the end of November.

 

[elmo]

Once they're fully feathered out, they're good to go. They have down coats! The only thing that would concern me is if you have particular breeds of chickens not known to be cold hardy: Seramas, for example.

Laying age is somewhat breed dependent, too. My Serama crossbreeds of last year all started laying around 5 months, but I understand some of the standard breeds don't start laying until a month or so later. During the winter, light is a more significant factor in slowing down laying than the temperature, I think.

 

[Ridgerunner]

This link might help you with questions about the cold. I agree with the other two posters but sounds like you may have a different situation ahead of you if you are already experiencing those temperatures.

Pat’s Winter Coop Temperatures
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-winter-coop-temperatures

As far as 21 week old pullets starting to lay. It does depend some on the breed but each individual chicken is different. I started with 23 pullets. The first one started laying at 18 weeks. At 20 weeks, 2 more started laying. At 22 weeks, two more started. So at age 23 weeks, I had 5 laying and 18 not laying. Or at 21 weeks, I had 3 laying and 20 not laying. With your 13, sounds like yours are doing about what mine did. You can see my breeds in my signature.

It is not unusual for pullets that start to lay a little late in the year to continue to lay throughout the winter. They don't go through a molt and don't stop laying. Some do molt or stop laying anyway. Nothing is guaranteed. I did not insulate my coop or heat it in any way. My lowest night time temperature was 4 degrees Fahrenheit. They kept laying.