Water in the coop?

[Arookar]

I have 30 chickens of several varieties- most brown egg layers. I live in a climate where it occasionally has hard frost in winter, but mostly just rain. The waterers never freeze. My question is- do I need to have water in the coop? My chickens have a 10x30 enclosed yard (which is mud this time of year) and are let out every day to a 5 acre pasture. I let them out when its fully light in the morning(around 8 am in winter- lots earlier in summer). Their coop is about 8x10 with 7 nest boxes .....plenty of roost room, but i'd like to eliminate any more moisture in the coop...i currently have a hanging 5 gal plastic waterer inside and it gets bumped alot. Would like to move it outside and have only their feeder and oystershell inside. I have a galvanized 5 gal waterer outside in their small pen also. Do you think i need to keep the inside waterer ? I also have 2 five gallon bucket nipple waterers outside but they do drip a little and i dont use them inside at all. What do you all think?

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I have one coop with water inside and one with it just out side in the run (heated ones here in Michigan.) I think a lot of people keep it outside. The one that I have inside is placed on a cinder block and has a plastic bin under it to prevent the bedding from getting wet.

 

[BellevueOmlet]

I like having water inside so they can always stay hydrated. You can use a cup system inside so you don't get the leaking you currently have from nipples. The cups are not float valves so they are never full to the brim, which keeps the water from spilling.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

If you let them out right away at daylight and let them drink all day it's fine IMO. I do that as well...food in coop and water outside.

But...for chicks of any age with a light bulb on them, food and water 24/7.

If it is going to be a very cold night and I have the 100 watt bulb on in the coop I do put a black rubber pan of water in there for them.

I don't want them to choke on the food, but the water does make the coop moldy.

I need to say all this in past tense as the day after tomorrow we get our new chicks...switching back to large fowl and I took a break.