Husband vs Wife :)

[Jerrysmom]

So we are new to all this and we have a difference of opinion on a few things. To make this fun ( for us lol ) and to make if fair I will not state who thinks what I will just state the differences and see what everyone has to say

Feed and water inside the "house" of the coop?
They have access to food and water in the run all day but at night we put them in the house so they are safe from all the wild life where we live and then are let out every morning. So should there be access to food and water for them over night in the house part?

Lonely rooster?

Ok so long story short right now we only have one rooster ( will be getting 5 buff orptingtons on march 21) So can this rooster be lonely? One of us thinks yes and just be laughed at

Food vs Pet?
So what do most people do? One of us thinks pet and one of us thinks dinner??????

This is just a few of the Husband vs Wife but just wanted to get some feedback as to what other people do/think.

 

[mom22alcorns]

Food and water outside only IMO. When they are in the coop at night they can't see anyway and are sleeping. Keeps the mess down also...no spills, etc. Lonely rooster? I am not allowed to have them where I live, but my guess is no. He wouldn't be lonely.

Pet or dinner?....hmmm, my hubby calls them dinner and I call them pets with benefits. As a compromise, we have chosen the call them tasty pets when the need or situation arises where they become dinner.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

When my chicks outgrow their heat lamp, that is when I consider them old enough to spend the night without food or water. However, I make sure they are out of the coop at daybreak and are never rushed to bed. So they eat and drink when it is light.

If I have a light on in the coop for wintertime, they get food and water in there for sure, to keep them from pecking each other out of boredom.

If I give food, I also give water.

Yes one chicken by itself is lonely, as they are flock animals. However, it sounds like you are getting him some company very soon. If you weren't getting newcomers, I would definitely advise getting another chicken for him.

For the food vs. pet thing, I would say that for marital peace it would be good to let pets be pets and go to costco for the rotisserie chicken. That is what we do, LOL!

Edited to add: oh I think after rereading your post that your question is, can you have only one rooster with some hens? Yes, he will be king.

 

[ll]

Food and water DEFINITELY outside in their run. No doubt about it. But if the run isn't fully covered up/down with hardware cloth you may find youself feeding more wildlife than chickens. They don't need food & water at night - they lock their toes in place & don't move until morning.

Lonely? Maybe. "Birds of a feather flock together". But I imagine they can also adapt.

Food vs. Pet .... good luck with that.

So we are new to all this and we have a difference of opinion on a few things. To make this fun ( for us lol ) and to make if fair I will not state who thinks what I will just state the differences and see what everyone has to say

Feed and water inside the "house" of the coop?
They have access to food and water in the run all day but at night we put them in the house so they are safe from all the wild life where we live and then are let out every morning. So should there be access to food and water for them over night in the house part?

Lonely rooster?

Ok so long story short right now we only have one rooster ( will be getting 5 buff orptingtons on march 21) So can this rooster be lonely? One of us thinks yes and just be laughed at

Food vs Pet?
So what do most people do? One of us thinks pet and one of us thinks dinner??????

This is just a few of the Husband vs Wife but just wanted to get some feedback as to what other people do/think.

 

[mlm Mike]

Food and Water: Water I make available both, food only inside, outside it would attract other animals. I would never lock up without water, you never know what could happen to delay letting them out. Besides inside doesn't freeze as quickly.

Yes, a rooster would be lonely.

Pet vs. Food. Extra roos are food, older hens are food for someone else or the dogs.

 

[Lute]

I keep both food and water indoors. Extra water outside when it's hot.

I would think that the roo would get a little lonely, yes.

Extra roos are food. Laying hens are quasi-pets with benefits until they stop laying eggs as often. Then they're dog chow. (For me anyways)

 

[cooped up]

So.... nobody tried to guess who was overly nurturing of the critters.

They don't need food inside.Nest and roost only if possible. {really bad weather maybe to keep food dry}They always have access to food and water because enclosure has small run and coop-- with a larger run attached to enclosure.

He won't be lonely for long.

If he gets overly aggressive and the hens slow down production, their names are Stu.{that's life on the farm-----city or otherwise}