My husband and I are first time chicken owners. We have a trio of 6 week old chicks in our backyard. The coop we built them is roughly 3.5 feet x 2.5 feet, with a sloped roof that's probably 4' at the highest point. We have a perch, nest box, and their feed and water in the coop. Do they need their feed and water inside, or should I move it outside?
Right now, they are confined to a wire dog crate as their outside run. Our backyard is adjacent to a very busy road, so we will have to clip their wings to keep them from flying over the privacy fence and being hit by a car. Until I get them to the vet to do so, I'm keeping the crate as their only run access to keep them safe. Once their wings are clipped, they will have access to a roughly 10' x 25' portion of the yard that we have sectioned off for them.
I was just reading some articles on here about the waterer causing too much moisture buildup in the winter if kept in the coop, so I thought I would ask opinions. Here are a couple pictures of our setup. It's nothing fancy or pretty, but I think it will function. I just don't want to cause unneeded issues down the road with something as simple as moving their water if I need to.
Thanks for any input!
Right now, they are confined to a wire dog crate as their outside run. Our backyard is adjacent to a very busy road, so we will have to clip their wings to keep them from flying over the privacy fence and being hit by a car. Until I get them to the vet to do so, I'm keeping the crate as their only run access to keep them safe. Once their wings are clipped, they will have access to a roughly 10' x 25' portion of the yard that we have sectioned off for them.
I was just reading some articles on here about the waterer causing too much moisture buildup in the winter if kept in the coop, so I thought I would ask opinions. Here are a couple pictures of our setup. It's nothing fancy or pretty, but I think it will function. I just don't want to cause unneeded issues down the road with something as simple as moving their water if I need to.
Thanks for any input!