^^ Agreed - chickens usually do just fine even in freezing temps unless they are not cold-hardy breeds, or if they get wet. Making sure that they have good ventilation (but not windy drafts) is important, as is access to lots of fresh water. Like horses, chickens can survive the cold very well as long as they can stay hydrated.
I will add that we did have two banty Cochins which are a breed with feathered feet. If their feet get wet in the snow, the feathers can freeze, which can cause their feet to get frostbitten, as well. So we did pamper our Cochins a bit more, and they would sit in their coop rather than go out free-ranging in the snow (whereas the White Rocks busted out of the coop every day, the moment I opened the door for them). We also provided the Cochins with a wall heater in the coop, and they definitely snuggled up to it. They say that temps don't affect egg production (daylight hours are the primary driver), but the Cochins definitely laid more regularly after we installed that wall heater.
Pic for nostalgia purposes.
We ended up going back for more later on and now we can't use up the eggs fast enough. I have a freezer full of French toast.
