Supplemental light?

[rosemarythyme]

This is what google said- The Formula holds that brooder temperatures should be kept between 90-95° F for the first week after hatching, and reduced by five degrees each week thereafter until the brooder temperature equals the ambient room temperature.
You temp should probably be closer to 55, and you can start to ween them off the heat quickly now. You said it was 30 degrees out?

Definitely toss this out the window. My 3 week olds were fine at 48 degrees without any supplemental heat, because I raised them outdoors in those types of temperatures. The "5 degrees a week" thing is from my understanding a generalized guideline for commercial use to maximize growth or minimize losses.

Yes on ventilation. Adding openings provides both necessary air flow as well as light, so no light should be needed inside if you plan according to light and wind directions. Is this set up in a barn or other enclosure? If so, wind direction might not be much of an issue at all, so you can go generous with windows.

 

[TheRoyalRoost]

Definitely toss this out the window. My 3 week olds were fine at 48 degrees without any supplemental heat, because I raised them outdoors in those types of temperatures. The "5 degrees a week" thing is from my understanding a generalized guideline for commercial use to maximize growth or minimize losses.

Yes on ventilation. Adding openings provides both necessary air flow as well as light, so no light should be needed inside if you plan according to light and wind directions. Is this set up in a barn or other enclosure? If so, wind direction might not be much of an issue at all, so you can go generous with windows.

It’s set up in the corner of my yard inside their run, which against an eight foot wooden fence - so they’re completely blocked from wind on two sides. The coop door faces east. I set up one of those cheap battery operated
push lights last night to see what they would do…the hens trotted right in at bedtime . I had a rooster I had to ‘encourage’ to go to bed, but that was a lot better than chasing all five around the run.

I let them sleep with no heat last night. It dipped down into the low 40s and the coop temp was around 47°. They seemed perfectly content and happily trotted back out the coop this morning.

 

[rosemarythyme]

It’s set up in the corner of my yard inside their run, which against an eight foot wooden fence - so they’re completely blocked from wind on two sides. The coop door faces east. I set up one of those cheap battery operated
push lights last night to see what they would do…the hens trotted right in at bedtime .

Good to know. Then for ventilation you should be pretty safe putting hardware cloth/welded wire covered openings on the two sides facing into the fence, as the fence provides a lot of wind protection, plus you have the area covered.

Battery light is a perfectly find option, I still prefer windows as I don't want to have to go turn on a light at dusk each day. But at least it's providing the light they need to navigate by to get onto the roosts.

 

[TheRoyalRoost]

Good to know. Then for ventilation you should be pretty safe putting hardware cloth/welded wire covered openings on the two sides facing into the fence, as the fence provides a lot of wind protection, plus you have the area covered.

Battery light is a perfectly find option, I still prefer windows as I don't want to have to go turn on a light at dusk each day. But at least it's providing the light they need to navigate by to get onto the roosts.

Guess what?!?! The light . . . has a remote

 

[rosemarythyme]

Guess what?!?! The light . . . has a remote

I don't have anything that fancy lol - the lights in my coop are the 2 for $5 type that you slap to turn on and off.