Your in Alabama, no such thing as cold in Alabama, trust me. You chickens can survive in your deep freezer. as a matter of fact it is 30* colder here than your deep freezer. They could be in a chicken wire coop and be just fine. Anything more than that is conveniece for you and protection for them (from predators not cold).
Keep in mind thousands of different kinds of birds live outside every day, where all of us live, without a coop, ample water, free food, etc. If you find yourself wondering about stuff just look at pheasants, grouse, etc in the wild. Where they live, living conditions, algae and poo in every drop water, moldy old and sometimes fresh food, where and how they sleep (in trees or bushes), how they protect themselves from predators, etc.
I am not suggesting to give your chickens bad food or dirty water, I just try to keep things in perspective and try to keep them as close to their natural instincts, behavior and nutrition as possible.
