Cold Week For Chickens

Today I used one of those really large eggs one of the chickens laid last week. There were two yolks inside. I've been worried about the chickens. This is their first encounter with really cold weather. I don't think they like it. They've been staying inside the coop. Their water is in a heated dog dish outside the coop and I wasn't seeing any tracks in the snow. I worried they weren't getting enough water to drink. But the water level in the dish would go down so I figured they must really stretch their necks from the ramp on the coop to drink water before heading back inside. This morning I cut up an apple and threw it in there before I left. After shutting the door it sounded like typists in the coop because the chickens were pecking so hard at the apples. Having four hens inside the coop all week resulted in one stinky chicken coop. When I got back I opened the door and let the coop air out today. The chickens flew from the coop and landed on top of the picnic table - one of the few places they could stand with their feet out of the snow. I guess they don't like to put their feet in snow. When you touch chicken feet, they do feel strangely warm. I emptied out the coop and put fresh bedding in there. I took their feed can and filled it with fresh chicken feed and some sand. Chickens need grit in their stomachs because they don't have teeth so I sprinkled clean sand in their food. I took the can into the garage and shut the door so they wouldn't come in. As soon as I shut the door I heard someone knocking on it. It was Pamela pecking at the door, urging me to let her come in. I have to say the chickens are thriving even when cooped up because of the cold weather. They huddle together in there pretty tight. I am glad I got rid of the roosters. This coop is made for 4 or 5 chickens. Six would have been too many.