Best ways to keep chickens warm and what to feed them in winter?

I would provide a heat lamp just to be on the safe side, and give the chicks a chance to move under or away from it as they see fit. This will help keep them warm enough at the low temp, but also allow them to get away if the heat lamp is too hot.

Choose a commercial pelleted diet labeled as "all flock" or "flock raiser". This is a complete diet for most chickens. For the hen, you will need to supplement calcium, especially if she is a layer. You can offer her crushed oyster shells freely. Do not use a layer diet for both. The calcium levels would be too high for the rooster leading to potential health issues for him. The website www.backyardchickens.com is an excellent resource for information regarding the husbandry and feeding of domestic chickens.

Thanks for reaching out about Pepper. Depending on the species, if the nesting area is 85-90 F, that should be adequate. How do you know he is cold and not ill? Monitor appetite and water intake. If not eating, needs to be syringe fed. Good luck.

The best way to keep the parrot warm would be to make sure the room it lives in is always heated. You could get a thermostat for the room so that it always stay at a constant temperature. Covering the cage with a heavy blanket also helps to insulate it at night.

They can eat chicken feed, cracked corn, oats, groats, greens, oyster shells (crushed), mealworms, nightcrawlers, crickets, berries and carrots just to list a few items. This is by no means an all inclusive list. You can find more acceptable foods at www.backyardchickens.com.

Once the chicks are dried and fluffed up, they can be moved to as brooder or to an area with a supplemental heat lamp. Keep them at about 95 F for the first week. Decrease by 5 F each week until the temperature is at 70 F.

If they are egg layers, feed a layer feed. For chickens raised for meat, feed a grower feed. Vitamins can be added to food or water. Medications should only be administered on the advice of a veterinarian who has physically examined them.