Chickens dont go outside to drink?

[Katterz]

I recently bought two chicks and they are now about 12 weeks old and are outside now. They have a big hanging waterer on the bottom section of the coop and food on both the upper section and the bottom. The odd thing is that they go upstairs just fine but do not go back down the ramp to the water unless I pick then up and put them there. Im worried that my chickens arent getting enough water.

 

[ScottM]

I'd be happy to help you over think this scatter flour on the floor to see if they leave the coop when you are not there.

Seriously though, even if the ramp is at a scary angle, I'm sure they'd eventually go looking for what they need. On a similar note, I have a system that lets me know when they've run out of food. They jump on the roof and escape.

Scott

 

[chfite]

If they can get up and down the ramp easily, there should be no problem. Mine have huge water bowl in the run with a heater in it to prevent freezing. When they come out for the day, they race to the dogs' water bucket as if they had been deprived for days.

Maybe dog water tastes better, who knows.

Chris