Hello; I've raised chickens for meat, and now I'm considering raising chickens for eggs. It gets very cold here in Wisconsin. We've had many days at or below zero this winter. It was -18 just the other day. I do not want to heat the coop. I think the only practical way would be to get them very early in Spring and butcher them in late Fall. Is that practical? What is the lowest temperature a chicken can comfortable withstand, without causing undo stress on them, and they will still lay eggs? That will determine the range that I could keep them.
Thank you.