I sort of get a charge out of those that worry about stuff getting kicked in their waterers and making it dirty For one thing, when chickens are outside, they drink out of puddles, including those in their run where they're pooping all the time. If you're bothered by debris in the waterer...
Let me preface this by saying I have a big coop, up to 4 dozen chickens (+/-) and my birds are free-ranged. What appears below has been my practice for over 30 years.
I have always kept both in the coop because there are times when the chickens are confined 24/7--like right now with the...