New Chicken Mama - In Need of Advice!

[LeahChicken]

Welcome! folks are so helpful and experienced here. Don't think any question is dumb just ask away. Glad you covered some of run from rain. They don't mind being cold but DO mind being wet! Dobie gave good advice about ventilation. Let them out they will decide how much is enough. I'm amazed at how they tolerate the cold. They do where down jackets! I put down big wood chips in run to help when wet. Welcome again you have a nice mix of new breeds for starter.

Thank you! I was a little nervous about my leghorns since they're a bit smaller than the others, but hopefully they'll come in when they need to!

 

[DobieLover]

give them cracked corn to keep warm too.

I would avoid this too. They just need their normal diet. Feeding corn can lead to fat chickens and fat chickens live much shorter lives.
Make sure their crops are full before going to roost.

What do you mean about having air flow from below?

It depends on your setup. I have fresh air coming in through the permanently open pop door seen below the poop boards. I have a second one on the south facing wall in the brooder room near the front of the coop.
The windows around the roosts are kept closed during winter and opened wide during summer. All the light coming in over the roosts is permanently open. There is also a ridge vent and a matching gable vent in the brooder room.
Post pictures of your coop for ideas on where and how to add ventilation or start a new thread in the Coop & Run Forum.

 

[LeahChicken]

I would avoid this too. They just need their normal diet. Feeding corn can lead to fat chickens and fat chickens live much shorter lives.
Make sure their crops are full before going to roost.

View attachment 2924461
It depends on your setup. I have fresh air coming in through the permanently open pop door seen below the poop boards. I have a second one on the south facing wall in the brooder room near the front of the coop.
The windows around the roosts are kept closed during winter and opened wide during summer. All the light coming in over the roosts is permanently open. There is also a ridge vent and a matching gable vent in the brooder room.
Post pictures of your coop for ideas on where and how to add ventilation or start a new thread in the Coop & Run Forum.

Amazing. I will post pictures tonight hopefully (at work now).

 

[LeahChicken]

I would avoid this too. They just need their normal diet. Feeding corn can lead to fat chickens and fat chickens live much shorter lives.
Make sure their crops are full before going to roost.

View attachment 2924461
It depends on your setup. I have fresh air coming in through the permanently open pop door seen below the poop boards. I have a second one on the south facing wall in the brooder room near the front of the coop.
The windows around the roosts are kept closed during winter and opened wide during summer. All the light coming in over the roosts is permanently open. There is also a ridge vent and a matching gable vent in the brooder room.
Post pictures of your coop for ideas on where and how to add ventilation or start a new thread in the Coop & Run Forum.

Also what kind of scratch do you recommend? I thought a little cracked corn before bed is good for keeping them warm on cold nights.

 

[Sammster]

Welcome!

 

[LeahChicken]

Amazing. I will post pictures tonight hopefully (at work now).

Hi, I went during lunch to take pictures. Here's my coop, run, and outdoor space. What do you recommend on ventilation?

 

[DobieLover]

Also what kind of scratch do you recommend? I thought a little cracked corn before bed is good for keeping them warm on cold nights.

I don't. It's the digestion process that generates heat. They should be digesting a complete feed.

 

[LeahChicken]

Amazing. I will post pictures tonight hopefully (at work now).

Hi, I went on my lunch break. Here are pictures of the coop, run, and outside area. The walls with windows face the east and the west (the run is in the west). The wall with high vents above the roosts faces south. The north wall has no vents, mainly bc it's lower, I have a slanted roof, and didn't want to get drafts on the chickens on the roost. What do you recommend on ventilation?

 

[cmom]

I can't help you much. I have poop pits under my roosts which are open to the outside so air does come up. Good luck and have fun...