What is -10F in Celcius terms? Now that I have had heat in there will I do damage to them if now all of a sudden I take it off the timer? I'm so worried about them. Also, what about when the sun heats their coop to around zero, but it's still -14C outside???? I have no control of that. My neighbors use only scratch and table scraps for feed that is another one of my questions. Is it ok to mix scratch and layer mash half and half?
-10 F is -23 C.
The basic rule of thumb many of us go by is no supplementary heat until -20 F, which is -29 C. The outside temperature being different than your coop temperature isn't a problem. That's due to the insulation and is just fine. In the wild, some animals insulate themselves naturally by digging into the leaves or making burrows or even digging out holes in the snow to capture their body heat. Your coop has just done this for your chickens, and they will appreciate it. They will probably choose to be outside some, and inside some--trust that they're smart enough to come inside when they get too cold or wet. They aren't the smartest animals, but they aren't super dumb, either. When they get too cold, they'll seek shelter and huddle together for warmth. My hens run outside even during cold, rainy days. Then they come inside to warm up. I leave their pop-door open no matter what the weather. Some days they spend the entire time outside, sometimes they spend the entire day inside. Trust their instincts.
Your hens' bodies will adapt to the cold. If you are concerned about your heat lamp, wean them off it slowly. First, turn it off on the warmest days. Then turn it off on slightly colder days, etc. Make sure that your hens have nice wide roosts and plenty of bedding.
The main trigger for frostbite is not cold alone: it's cold+moisture. That's where the ventilation comes in. You want vents high in your coop so that they draw moist air out the top of the coop. This will help prevent frostbite. You can also help prevent frostbite by massaging Vaseline into the combs. Massage it in well, since there is some evidence that it's the massaging action stimulating blood flow more than the Vaseline itself that helps. If possible, try to find a balance between enough ventilation and no drafts. Sniff the air, is there a smell of ammonia? Touch the wood. Is the wood moist at all? Ammonia smell and damp wood are dead give-aways that you need more ventilation and drier bedding.
You should not worry about your coop being too big. I've never heard of any problems from a too-big coop, but a too-small coop is very bad for chickens and will lead to all sorts of problems like pecking and cannibalization. The more room, the better, I say!
As far as feed--your neighbors are not providing their hens with good nutrition. Scratch and table scraps are pretty much the candy bars and potato chips of the chicken world. Your commercial layer feed has been formulated to contain all the nutrients that the hens need to lay eggs. If you mix it half with scratch, you are throwing off that nutrient balance. Your chickens will get too much of some things and not enough of others. Scratch and table scraps are treats, and should be used as such. Remember, a chicken has a lot less body mass than a human, and eats a lot less volume. So a handful of scratch or half a peanut butter sandwich to a chicken is a large percentage of her diet for the day, and you've thrown her nutrition off. Yes, throw them your table scraps, and use scratch for treats. But don't let it make up a huge percentage of what they eat.
Last edited: