Do chickens need food outside?

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ChickenDude12345

Songster
Jun 16, 2021
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Northern NH
I just recently let my chickens out after keeping them confined to the coop for three days. They all went out of the coop and I put an outside water in the run. None of them have gone back into eat or drink. Should I put food in the outside run until night when they either go in or I have to bring them in?
 
You probably want them to spend the day in the run, and the night roosting in the coop.

So food and water in the run would be fine, because they eat & drink during the day but not while they are sleeping.
So how would I get them to go in the coop tonight or any night. Should I just keep bringing them in at night until they get it?
 
So how would I get them to go in the coop tonight or any night. Should I just keep bringing them in at night until they get it?

Chickens naturally go sleep in the same place every night.

Since they've been in the coop for 3 days already, they may just go in by themselves.

If they do not go in, then yes you can put them in each night until they get it.

Or you can put some extra-tasty treat in the coop during the afternoon, and shut them in. That way they will be in the right place to put themselves to bed.

(For an "extra-tasty treat," I have good results with wet chicken food. It's just water added to the usual pellets or crumbles, but the chickens usually go crazy for it. After a few days, they learn to recognize the bowl I use to serve it, and will follow wherever I carry the bowl.)
 
Some of us keep food or water only in the coop. Some keep food or water only in the run. I keep food and water both in the coop and in the run. There is no one way that is right for everyone. We have our reasons to do what we do. That doesn't mean anyone is right or wrong, it's just the way we choose to do it.

You can find reasons for any way. You might water in the run to keep the coop dry if they spill it. You might water in the coop to keep the water out of the sun so it doesn't heat up or it's easier to keep it thawed in winter. Some people feed in the coop so wild birds don't eat a lot of the feed. Some people feed in the run so feed doesn't attract rodents to the coop. I do both because I usually have immature birds in the flock, widely scattered feed and water stations helps with integration. And other reasons. And on and on and on, lots of different reasons for any decision.

If they know where food and water is they will eat and drink. It may not be according to your schedule or when you are watching, but they will. So come up with your own reasons and do what's most convenient to you.
 
Chickens naturally go sleep in the same place every night.

Since they've been in the coop for 3 days already, they may just go in by themselves.

If they do not go in, then yes you can put them in each night until they get it.

Or you can put some extra-tasty treat in the coop during the afternoon, and shut them in. That way they will be in the right place to put themselves to bed.

(For an "extra-tasty treat," I have good results with wet chicken food. It's just water added to the usual pellets or crumbles, but the chickens usually go crazy for it. After a few days, they learn to recognize the bowl I use to serve it, and will follow wherever I carry the bowl.)
OK thanks a lot. I have some dried mealworms that they tend to like. Thanks for the advice
 
Yeah I just thought if I put food and water out there they might get used to staying in the run rather than the coop
Chickens have a natural tendency to seek shelter at night. If they've been spending their nights in the coop already, they're most likely going to find their way to and INTO the coop as dusk approaches.

As for food and water, we don't put them inside the coop with one exception: new chicks that are old enough to be out of the brooder, but still not wise enough to eat and drink what they want/need for overnight. After a couple of weeks watching the adults eat and drink at the feed/water stations on the way in, they learn to do the same.

Worse, you invite things into the coop that you'd rather NEVER have in the coop...
 

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