can 4 week old chicks go overnight with out food in their pen?

[New2chicksinTN]

Hubby wanted me to ask since the two big girls out in the coop do not eat or drink overnight if the little ones need the feeders/waterers in their pen at night? We are letting them out during the day with fresh chick feed and water but when we put them in the overnight pen we have also been moving the water/feed in with them. When will they roost at night and not eat?

 

[HEChicken]

At that age they should be mostly sleeping at night so don't need the feed/water in with them. I usually start to transition them off a heat source between 3 and 4 weeks old, so by 4 weeks they are off it altogether and keeping to a regular day/night schedule in which they do not eat or drink at night.

 

[New2chicksinTN]

HEChicken, thanks. We have started putting them outside when the temp/weather is cooperating and they love being outdoors. We are not having the heat on them during the day...with the exception of one day they seemed to be huddled together so we brought them back to their "pen" (an old rabbit hutch) and put them back under the light.... They knock the food over every night into the shavings so we were thinking they probably did not need it at night. When we take them outside, we leave the wire top part of the hutch out for them to go back into when they want or if we are not able to be right there with them.