Coop questions

[Tyna]

I have built my Sussex hen a coop today and I was wondering will she be cold outside. I have a heat lamp for her but will that be enough? Also what foods, other then grain are good to feed her and what is bad?

 

[cavemanrich]

First

Now to answer your question, we need to know a little more..
How old is your hen???
Where do you live??? ( we only need to know your general area, State or town, NOT YOUR ADDRESS)
Where was your hen before today???
Feed....... an all purpose feed like Starter or Alflock is good. If she is laying, then Layer feed is good. There is a lot more on this subject if you read some of the threads on FEEDING AND WATERING YOUR FLOCK.
WISHING YOU BEST IN NEW CHICKEN KEEPING

 

[Tyna]

I live in Columbus Ohio and right now its 30 degrees outside. I found her roaming my neighborhood, I have no clue how old she is though.

 

[cavemanrich]

Great to hear you rescued a nice hen..

Place the heat lamp at one end of coop and then observe where she wants to be at. If she stays directly under it, that means she is cold. If at other end and generally all around the coop, means not cold for her. This observation needs to be after she has been inside coop for some time. It will not happen instantly.
I saw a pix in your other posting. It looks to be a young bird by the size,if it is a Sussex standard. If it is a bantam chicken, Then it may be full grown. Would need more pix for it to be determined more accurately.

 

[drumstick diva]

Caveman Rich has given you good information. If she has been running around loose for some time, she may be acclimated to the climate.

 

[N F C]

You might think of getting a couple more chickens to keep your single one content...chickens are flock animals and prefer to have others their own kind around. Having a couple more chickens will help generate more body heat for all of them and keep them physically more comfortable in the winter too.

Thanks for joining us!

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[Tyna]

Hello and thankyou!! IM so excited I'm building a coop for my bella and it's almost done. I'm not Bob the builder but I'm trying. What are some pointers you can give me to finish the coop??

 

[Tyna]

Here it is

 

[cavemanrich]

Looks like you are DOING A GREAT JOB..

... Looks like it will be a secure coop. My suggestions to you is ...... At top of page is the link to COOPS... Read there and many things will become clear .. The other thing very important is VENTILATION. a MEMBER NAMED aart has a very good link in his posts pages about ventilation. Here is a link to ventilation article. You can see aart,s posts if you simply just write his name in the search bar at top of page..

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop

Here are my thoughts on what a coop needs. Ventilation,, Natural light,, Drafts to a minimum,, Dry environment inside , no water leaks as much as possible.. Bedding on floor for chicken comfort and cleanliness. Security from predators.
The longer you have chickens, the more refined will be your knowledge as to what works BEST in your particular situation..
Keep us updated on your progress and ask anything you don't know. There are soo many chicken peeps here to offer great advice.