Transitioning chickens between indoors & outdoors in winter - Advice appreciated!

[CanadaEh]

we have 2 hardware cloth cages built on top of nesting boxes in the coop - no temperature swings, no isolation, no reintegration issues when bird needs to be separated.

I don't think couple of days in the house would matter for your bird in terms of temperature - as long as she is fully feathered and have been in the cold previously. Make sense though to transfer her back on some warmer morning with no exceptionally low night temps expected...

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Thanks again everyone for the responses. I really appreciate it! We’re going for the dog crate in the run and covering the holes so she can’t get her head through.

Unfortunately the dog crate won’t fit in the coop, so I’m still thinking about bringing her in overnight. I’m worried that roosting in the coop could cause more harm to the leg.

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree that keeping her inside the coop is best, and the use of a dog crate with her own food and water would be ideal. A medium or large crate is better to allow for movement. Enlarging your coop enough to include a hospital crate is important. That way you can separate a bullied or injured chicken, a sick chicken, to introduce new chickens, and it is a good way to catch one to medicate if necessary.