Advice with what feed to buy and when please

[Coop's Coop]

In the dark, they are hunkered down and sleeping.
Chickens are much more cold hardy than people think.
Make sure Fort Knox has plenty of big ventilation. That is much more important than warmth.

There are 4 hardware mesh covered windows on their coop, however 3 of them are at roost height so I covered them last night with a bit of plastic that just hangs on a nail outside. Should I not cover them? I was worried about drafts. The 4th window is at the roofline above the main door. Here are some pics of the coop. You can see inside where the roost is up at the height of the windows. The high window is above the main access door. When we got the coop (used off craigslist) we did some refurbishing and added the two windows above the pop door. It gets HOT here in SoCal so I thought they would need more ventilation. The original owner had the window that's above the flower box tightly covered in plexiglass so I removed that and added the hardware mesh.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Ok it seems there's varying advice on when to change to raiser and off of starter feed. We are using Purina medicated starter and the bag says 18 weeks, then layer. So maybe I'll just get one more bag of starter and then wean them on to raiser feed, then layer when they are old enough? They are currently 7 weeks ( oldest ones) and I'll run out of feed in a few days. I'm assuming I need to slowly transfer them to the next food right? Add some of the old and some of the new until the new is 100%? Thanks for your help everyone. Headed to TSC today!

I bit the bullet and they all slept in the coop last night for the first time. I've been so nervous about that as it's getting down to high 40's at night now. My son would be devastated if anything happened to them. There's a heating pad mama hen in there and they used it. It stayed 55F+ in the coop and when I came out this morning they were all happy and didn't seem cold. Of course I was a nervous wreck all night! I feel like I need a video baby monitor in there! They are fine but I'm the one freaking out about it. Lol!

You're right, there will always be varying advice. It is never an exact science since people have a variety of poultry husbandry techniques and have received advice earlier in life (some good and some bad) which they have built into their management regimen. There is a big difference in the spectacular variety of poultry breeds.
Bottom line is that it is hard to screw this up. You can feed starter till the birds start laying. You can feed grower their entire lives.
The best thing is to become educated into all the nutrients chickens need - especially percentages of protein, calcium and phosphorus. Then read feed labels and use your best judgement based on your flock and what you have learned as well as whether to feed treats, what kinds and how many.
It is hard to compare management of a flock of hundreds of laying hens, a meat operation, a handful of Silkies kept in a coop or a free ranging flock of Penedesencas or Fayoumis.
Ideally, each of those situations should all have different practices.

 

[Crooked Chicken]

There are 4 hardware mesh covered windows on their coop, however 3 of them are at roost height so I covered them last night with a bit of plastic that just hangs on a nail outside. Should I not cover them? I was worried about drafts. The 4th window is at the roofline above the main door. Here are some pics of the coop. You can see inside where the roost is up at the height of the windows. The high window is above the main access door. When we got the coop (used off craigslist) we did some refurbishing and added the two windows above the pop door. It gets HOT here in SoCal so I thought they would need more ventilation. The original owner had the window that's above the flower box tightly covered in plexiglass so I removed that and added the hardware mesh.

That coop is so adorable! I think you did good by removing the plexiglass and adding the wire. Loose sheet plastic is ok on the outside - you do want to allow the air to circulate. I'm from SoCal originally so I know how hot it can get. Luckily you won't experience too many really cold days, but will get the hot Santa Ana winds.

 

[rjohns39]

well said @ChickenCanoe the only other thing I would add is to learn about and research limits. There are different things that can inhibit absorption of nutrients if at too high a level. So for example: more than 15% by volume of a combination of oats and barley can inhibit proper absorption of nutrients. More than 5% fish products can give eggs/meat a fishy smell/taste. I'm still learning why some limits apply, but I do have a table that tells me what they are for my husbandry style.