If you could provide a chute where the eggs will roll after being laid, and collected at a separate place, the added cost of the chute will be paid for in terms of more eggs that could be used. It will also be practical as frequent intrusions disturbs chicken and that destroys eggs in the process let alone the muck that you will help splatter around. I highly recommend using a hard horse rubber dish for the fact that it's relatively easier to remove the ice without breaking the dish. Providing roosts is also vital in avoiding your chickens' toes from freezing. A roost made out of wood is always better than metal or plastic because wood doesn't conduct cold. Starting from a starter mash, it will need crumbles and then pellets. This is no cause for worry though as the feed is basically made of the same mixtures and components, the differences accounts for the degree of coarseness of the milling only. As the pullets grow, it will eat just about anything that catches its interest. When they are at their best behavior, chicken will huddle together, scratch together and stay put if not feeding. When something fancies them though that they regard as little treasures, they could peck at another when an intrusion happens. It may not be much. It could be a little droplet of water running across a wire, a territory that they are foraging even when there are no signs of potential food morsels, just about anything. All of this though could be avoided very easily provided the symptoms are recognized early and treatments are done swiftly. Not acting on it soon enough could cause infestation that could contaminate the entire flock. Causes of Infestation in Chickens Overcrowding chickens produces stress that results in lowered resistance against diseases. Observe also the kind of grass that the chicken feeds on when they have a sour crop so you can chop the grass into smaller sizes and feed this to the chicken to treat the sour crop or when a similar problem occurs in the future. Once a month, mix one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to every liter of water in the chicken's water supply.