I am in north pa and live right on lake erie, lots of lake effect snow. I also had concerns. They are choosing to spend all day outside in the covered run. The run is 6 ft high and has plastic around the bottom 3 ft to keep out drifts. After 2 days of breaking ice out of the water, I decided to add a heated water bowl but that is it. They seem to like the cold. They are also 6 months old.