just how do you know if.....

[Athensm50]

Just how do you know if your chickens are getting enough water and food?

I have a small coop 4 x 6...and a 10 x 15 run...i have a old galvanized tube feeder that held 20lb out of a 50lb bag....a water inside the coop.....and then a 5gal bucket with 3 nipples on it outside.....

I just don't know if they are getting enough food and water????......we have had so much rain it's hard to tell by the 5 gal bucket....and the feeder inside the coop is hard to tell how much they are eating out of it.

I have 4 hens.....I started with 2.....and they were giving me one day 2 next day 1.....then picked up a couple more over the weekend....first day 4 eggs!...then just 2 each day after that.....one of the new ones seems a little aggressive.


with food inside the coop.....do I also put food outside?...are they smart enough to go back inside and eat during the day?...they do go back inside and sit on the nest during the day.......but they are always looking for food in the grass?(guess that's normal?)


Thanks for any help....just not sure!


Athens

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If they get hungry and know there's food inside, they'll find it.
Some of my coops only have food and water inside (for those free ranging), others have inside and some both.
As long as they have food and clean water available from dawn to dusk, they're getting enough.

 

[Athensm50]

so If I have water nipples out side....and a standard Plastic water jug with small "mote type" at bottom is that confusing?......do I need to swap to all nipples??

I'm sure it would be cleaner......

 

[LoneOak]

Nipples are much better, most definitely cleaner. The horizontal nipples that Rich386 sells are the way to go, they are the best. As long as your birds always have food and water available they will eat and drink enough. Feed goes inside to stay clean and dry and water outside. They do not eat or drink after they get on the roost and retire for the night until the sun comes up and they start moving the next morning.

If you really want them to properly use the nipples you have to remove all other sources of water.