Should I leave food in coop at night?

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NewHobbyForMe

NewHobbyForMe

Songster
10 Years
Oct 10, 2009
155
2
109
Missouri
I have 6 month olds and 5 month olds chicks, and I've always left them with plenty of food at night. Just wondering if I should let them have so much? They always have water also, which I'm sure they should. Any replys will be appreciated.
 
They don't eat when it's dark, but wake up hungry every morning. It's fine to leave them with food at night.
 
Quote:
Yeah that. They get up about 3-4 hours before I do, and with their fast metabolisms they expect to have breakfast pretty durn early! That's also why I invested in a heated waterer for winter
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My chickens do well with feed & water in their coop where they are locked in for the night to protect from any possible predators. In the coop they have 14 hr. lighting from Sept. 1st to April 1st & it comes on at 6:00am & off at 8:00pm. So, at 6:00am they are in a 40wt bulb lit coop until I get out to open their door to the yard at about 7:00am give or take; and at night, they have the food & water until the lights go out. They are able to eat or drink (from a heated waterer to avoid the freezing) if they choose, which they seem to take advantage of quite well (especially with the cold weather, it would give them energy to generate body heat). They also have a 100wt bulb in their outdoor lower level of the coop that they enjoy durring the day as we have little natural light outside on these winter days in Oregon; my coop has 2 levels. They know when they need to eat & drink, why deprive them because I'm not up at the crack of dawn to let them out.
 
I leave food out at all times. I'm all about making chickens raising easy. If I have to go out twice a day then this is too much for me. I have feeders that I've made out of five gallon buckets. So i have 10 gallons of feed out. I only have to feed once a week right now. I give treats every now and then but not too much. I check their water daily when I collect eggs.
 
Thank you all very much. Now I know I'm a good chicken mom
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I have my daughters baby monitor out in the coop. When I turn it on in the house they are all coo-ing and doing their chicken talk. I can hear them eating from the metal chick feeders. It is never quiet, so I thought maybe I should not feed at night and maybe they would sleep more. I have recently started putting organic apple cider vinegar in their water dish. One tablespoon for each gallon. I lost a BO that would not eat or drink. After I lost her, I had another one that started acting the same way. Started them on ACV and she snapped out it and is doing great now.
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Thank you again.
 
Mine have feed & water 24/7. I know of no reason to feed on a schedule. I find that they will not eat alot for a few days then will empty the bowl. I keep it filled every night.
 
I fill each morning and add in the grit and calcium, in my home made trough. I do not have water in the coop at all. I want my chooks to want to go out in AM so that I can do my chores inside coop with them not underfoot. If they have an egg to lay they will jump up on window flowerbox and squawk at me to hurry!
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I give treats, greens during day outside. They always come out and even did in two inches of snow that they had never before seen.

Mine are 6 months old and laying like crazy, 18 eggs today and 4 of those waiting for me in AM . It was 14 degrees out in the coop this am. What a bunch of troopers!
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Mine have feed and water 24x7. The feed is in a home made feeder. When it gets down to 3 - 4 days of feed remaining I dump another 50 - 100 lbs of feed in. 100 lbs of feed is lasting me roughly 4 - 5 weeks. I check the water once a day but usually only need to fill it about once every 5 - 6 days. (Filling includes cleaning it).
 

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