Water and food inside coop?

[alfiethetortoise]

Sorry silly question, Two of my three hens arrived today. Unexciting for me, they already took themselves in for the night! I put the food in there since they went in at 3:30 and i closed the door as it's a bit windy and wet. However, I suddenly wondered do i need to keep food and water in there at night?! In winter here its dark by four and sunrise tomorrow isn't until 8am! Seems a long time to go without food and water!

Thanks!

 

[aoxa]

Not unless you won't wake up with the sun the next morning. They should be fine without food and water from sun down until sunrise. They can't see in the dark to make their way to the food and water anyway.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Your chickens will be fine overnight without food and water while they are sleeping.

 

[SteveBaz]

Another key thing is that chickens have very poor sight and they fight at night for a secure position on the roost before it gets dark bc of there poor sight and the will squabble until they are comfortable. They will not leave the roost until morning when the light is better for them to see anyway. So no need to feed inside the sleeper. Good luck to you.

 

[Mommy 2 Wee Ones]

I always have food & water inside, just in case I can't get out to them right away or like today, I had to put them away early. The wind is blowing hard, and the temp is dropping, I have hanging feeder & water inside. If it were outside, I would most likely have cold cocked chickens outside, with the feeders swinging all over the place.

 

[coolcanoechic]

Quote:
I just watched mine squabble for the last half hour for their positions on the roost. I just got them a couple of days ago and they were traumatized by their change of environment. They have been squeezing into one of the nesting boxes for the last two nights. I felt sorry for them cause I knew they felt safe in there, but they poop a lot when they sleep and I don't want them to be in the habbit of sleeping in their nesting boxes. Tonight, I closed off the nesting boxes to force them to use the roost. It worked. I'll leave it like that for a few nights until they get used to the idea. I hope it works.
I have a light inside of my coop and a glassed window for the clean out door so I can see what they are up to from inside of my house. I can look out the window of my laundry room and into the window of the coop. I keep the light on a dimmer switch so I can turn it down at night, but still see what they are doing. This morning I got up at 3 AM and when I looked out the window, they were already up and eating from their feeder and scratching around. I have a feeder inside of my coop as well as a water dish. It's there because we have bad weather quite often here in New Hampshire and in the winter, one does not always want to go outside in a foot of new snow right off the bat when they get up, to let the girls out......
BTW......It is a new coop and new hens. We had one hurricane and one Noreaster while the coop was being constructed. That's New Hampshire for ya!

 

[Junaleefarm]

They will be fine.

 

[Marcymom3]

and

from Maryland!

Before the run was covered, I had to throw away feed that got wet when it rained so we put it inside. The waterers are outside in the run. Mine eat all day, but mostly in the early morning when the timed light comes on at 3:30 a.m. When I open the pop door at 6:00 they head for the waterers. If I can figure out a way to put a messproof insulated waterer inside I might do it for the winter.

Good luck with your chickens!

 

[ChicKat]

Quote:
That is so funny! I can picture them being knocked out --- or trying to grab food as the feeder swings wildly past. LOL.

 

[stormylady]

I do put their food and water inside in the winter time because they spend most of their time in the hen house. from spring through the warmer parts of fall I leave it outside. Also alot of times if its raining I put the feed inside just so it wont get all wet.