Feeding chickens

[Al Gerhart]

Thank you. We pick up their feeders well AFTER dark, not at dusk.

And there is no water in the coop during the night. We give them water and food at daylight. The birds first tank up on water, as they cannot eat until they are hydrated. They drink, walk around a bit, and drink again. Only when they are well hydrated do they start to eat. If there was food in the coop and no water, they would not eat it. You do what works for you, we will do what seems best for us. Again, thank you for your comments.

ETA we have no rats.

You are so blessed to have the time available to do that! And to not have rodents.

However, it is best to give advice based upon the OP's original post, figure out what info they might have not given and ask for the details or to assume some norms like people not being able to get up before dawn to put feed back into the coop and pick it up before dusk. That is why most of us tell people to keep food in front of the hens 24/7.

Are you okay with others having their own opinion on things? Please forgive my OCD, I'm a cabinetmaker, we live and die on precise language to prevent us from upsetting customers.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Are you okay with others having their own opinion on things?

Of course! I did say a couple of times that this is what works for us, and you (generic "you," whoever) should do what works for you.