Can this marriage be saved?

[HiEverybirdy]

We have big, lazy Brahmas who like to get up super early for a snack and then go back to sleep I'm new to chickens and have never heard of this, but I like it, so I make sure they can access food and water before I get there in the morning.

Actually, as feathered as our birds are, I'd never close them anywhere without access to water. That's just me going with my gut. Plus, my chicks still ate after dark at 6 weeks. They still have a lot of growing to do at that point.

There are so many opinions out there, and it's good to hear them, but at the end of the day, don't let "what-ifs" get in the way of what you feel in your heart is important. Maybe you can find a compromise, like try putting a small amount of food and water in for a few days. You may find they never touch it, or you may find the convenience and lack of anxiety are worth it.

If you can't convince your husband to relax, I totally see you sneaking out to the coop with a bowl of crumble and a waterer in the middle of the night, like bringing that pudding cup to the sibling who got sent to bed with no dinner...

Good luck!

 

[Aunt Angus]

Disclaimer: I'm in the middle of something, so I didn't read the whole thread.

HOWEVER - I think you should keep water in the coop.

Exhibit 1: I've had the wind blow my coop door shut once, trapping the birds inside and their water outside. Bad juju.

Exhibit 2: A BYCer had her chickens die of dehydration/overheating when her daughter forgot to open the coop on accident.

I now keep water both in the coop and out in the run.

 

[dirkandlorie]

I can't understand why anyone would deny food and water to an animal for any length of time. If mice or rats are of concern, then build your coop with 1/4 inch hardware that mice can't get through. If water dripping from nipple waterer is of concern, use a different water system. I personally am a lazy chicken person. I don't want to be up at 4 or 5 in the morning for any reason, let alone knowing I'd have to do it every day of my life as long as I had chickens. (Forever! ) My coop and attached run are built top bottom and sides with 1/4 in. hardware cloth so girls can go back and forth as they please, not dependent on pop doors or worse yet, for me to get there! Best yet, I can put enough food and water in there to last 3 days if I should choose to go away or get sick. Just makes life so much easier to address those worries, instead of worrying incessantly if pop door worked, are the chickens suffering, etc.

 

[joydix]

I can see it either way, and that's because everyone's set up and needs are different, and what works for one person won't work for another.

I have water in run only, because I want to make sure my coop stays bone dry. My auto door is set for 7:45, I'm usually up around 8:30 or so. So even if the door doesn't open (which it has glitched out once before) my chickens aren't so parched that they're in any danger. But that said, we rarely get over mid-90s here, and certainly not in the early morning. If I lived in a hot or arid climate, that'd be a different ball game.

In a few days our nearly 6 week old chicks will be moving out of the house and into a coop/run arrangement with a large area of green forage.
My husband and I had decided not to provide feed or water in the coop for many reasons. Now, having hand raised these precious babies, I’ve decided there should be water available in the coop. My husband does not agree. Strongly.

What if the pop door doesn’t pop? What if we don’t get down to the coop early to let them out? How long can a chicken go without water?

Our coop is not air conditioned. We use nipple waterers so dripping is minimal. For bedding we’re starting with pine shavings but may switch to sand sometime in the future.

I think he’s just being stubborn because it wasn’t his idea. I, on the other hand, will listen to reason if someone out there can convince me I shouldn’t have these concerns. I know there’s a slight chance of differing opinions and that’s good for the sake of my argument.

I am a firm believer water and food avail all times. If you use a drip waterer and your cool rodent prof there is NO reason to deny. Many unexpected things could occur that might delay or prohibit you from opening coop or the door not opening. Better to be safe than sorry.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I am a firm believer water and food avail all times. If you use a drip waterer and your cool rodent prof there is NO reason to deny. Many unexpected things could occur that might delay or prohibit you from opening coop or the door not opening. Better to be safe than sorry.

Seems to me multiple people are now piling up on folks for not doing things their way... Feel free to run your set up how you see fit. Don't expect that everyone else must do the same.

No, nothing unexpected is happening that would cause my animals to die of hunger or thirst, short of a massive natural disaster or my being deceased (in that case, sorry chickens) . I have an auto door and a coop cam I can check in on. Plus I don't work and rarely take vacations (and 90% of the time hubby and I travel separately just so someone can stay at home with animals). Between the automatic door, the camera, my getting up and immediately going to take care of all the animals (and in the rare instance I'm not here, hubby going to do the same, and in the once-every-7-year-vacation we take, the neighbor doing the same), I can say with absolute certainty that the chickens aren't going to go thirsty or hungry just because I refuse to leave them food and water overnight.

Obviously my approach isn't going to work for everyone. But it works for me.

 

[Gray Angel Farm]

We have food and water in the coop. My coop is a building my husband built that is 10x12 feet roughly. My chickens free range and I don’t close the pop door. I’m not sure why but we have never had predator problems except hawks during the day when they are free ranging. My husband built a suspended pvc feeder that holds enough grain for 2-3 days. We have 3 outdoor cats that keep our mice population under control very well.
I would never consider putting their food outside as I feel it would get ate a lot faster and by more than just the chickens:

 

[Baby Chickens2020]

We have the automatic door and it works great! I think they should have water !

 

[Naser]

How difficult to get another husband?.

 

[RaleighRancher]

We’ve read a lot of differing opinions on this. I believe there is something of a consensus among those who ban water and feed from the coop that having those things outside the coop encourages the birds not to hang out in there during the day when they should be outside.

I know in large commercial "free range" operations this is a concern, but I think if the outside is sufficient rewarding, it won't be a problem.
My coop is actually a combination rodent proof run and coop. The pop door, when open, allows access to a larger open run where the hens can forage, take dirt baths, pick through the compost pile. All the feed and water is kept in the coop. My hens bust through the pop door enthusiastically every single time I open it and stay out as long as it's open except to lay. Never a problem with them lingering inside.

 

[wkshaddon]

In a few days our nearly 6 week old chicks will be moving out of the house and into a coop/run arrangement with a large area of green forage.
My husband and I had decided not to provide feed or water in the coop for many reasons. Now, having hand raised these precious babies, I’ve decided there should be water available in the coop. My husband does not agree. Strongly.

What if the pop door doesn’t pop? What if we don’t get down to the coop early to let them out? How long can a chicken go without water?

Our coop is not air conditioned. We use nipple waterers so dripping is minimal. For bedding we’re starting with pine shavings but may switch to sand sometime in the future.

I think he’s just being stubborn because it wasn’t his idea. I, on the other hand, will listen to reason if someone out there can convince me I shouldn’t have these concerns. I know there’s a slight chance of differing opinions and that’s good for the sake of my argument.

With my chickens ive noticed they generally dont get down from their roosting pole at all during the night and neither did my chicks even when i made water available to them. Ive never seen them be active in the dark and they usually wait til i open their door before they come down...except my rhody, Ginger, shes up and ready to come out as soon as its light out. But I try and always let them out no later than 8am.