Feeding at night

[Rubyee]

Hello!
My chicks are 3 weeks old, outside in their own coop and run. They are loving it!!! They have a brooder plate; I have been leaving the heat lamp on for light. It’s getting warmer here and I’d like to shift away from the heat lamp, however I’m worried they won’t be able to see their food at night? So, my question…how long do they need access to food at night? And at what age do I move the food out to the run?

 

[nuthatched]

They don't need food at night, however, they're up before you so you can leave the food but get rid of the lamp.

 

[rosemarythyme]

My chicks only get natural daylight so even though I leave food in with them up to around 4 weeks they only eat during daylight hours. No need to put in artificial light if the brooder plate is doing the job in providing them with enough heat.

 

[dearmeghann]

When our girls were younger, we kept food/water in the coop and run. Some don't understand the layout, others are bullies so having two locations help out if they need to pop into the coop, or if there was some awful weather they could escape into the coop. We were also lazy, we didn't want to have to move their feed/waterers every night.

As for the light, if you have windows in the coop - that can go away. They need to get used to the natural rising and setting of the sun. Plus, they typically sleep the entire night anyway. If you don't have windows in the coop, a light wouldn't hurt during daylight hours, especially if they aren't venturing out into the run.