What's the longest your chickens have gone without water?

[omelette'smom]

That's so funny you saw them eating snow! I saw my chicken eating some and thought she was just being silly thinking it was some new food. She was just being "conservative" with the water in the fountain! Good girl!

 

[HennysMom]

my girls always have water - but...it freezes overnight (c'mon USPS and get me my heated water bowl!

) however they have no water or food n their coop but their pop door is open - just covered with heavy plastic strips like a dog door - so they go in and out and can get water and food all day/night if they want it.

I figure once they're sleeping they dont want water, they never come out (I've never seen them come out once they go in) but come 5:00 a.m. they have fresh water to replace the frozen batch. Never have they gone without other than when they are sleeping and its been frozen overnight - and I change it constantly as well.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Mine have also gone overnight without water and MAN do I hear about it when I go to the coop!

It's like they all swarm around my feet and make it really hard for me to walk. I always like to think they just LOVE me A LOT but nope, once they have their water/food they are thrilled!

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

Eeeek! I don't have a waterer inside my coop anymore because they kept dumping it in their bedding. They've been going overnight 10-12 hours without water for over a month and seem fine.

But, they are not egg producers yet..... Does that matter?

I did that after someone else posted that they don't provide food or water inside the coop as the chickens only go into the coop to sleep....

Have I been abusing my flock?

 

[NYREDS]

omelette'smom :

That's so funny you saw them eating snow! I saw my chicken eating some and thought she was just being silly thinking it was some new food. She was just being "conservative" with the water in the fountain! Good girl!

I know a breeder of Large Fowl OE Games who never waters his chickens in the winter. He just scoops up a pan of snow & puts it in each pen. The rational being water will freeze & no longer be available to the birds, the snow they can eat all day long.
As to my own situation I'm in upstate NY where it can get pretty cold. As long as the daytime temp stays above 15 degrees f the water doesn't freeze in my coop. When the temp falls below that the water freezes at some point during the day & I come home to frozen water pans. I bang out the ice & leave the pans empty overnight-they don't need water while they're asleep. So on really cold days they may be w/o water for several hours & they do fine. They really don't need dwater in front of them 24 hrs per day.​

 

[QuailHollow]

Quote:
Yep, that's what I was told to do, as well.

 

[dangerouschicken]

mine went a day or two a few times. miscommunication between dh and me as to who was checking them. they were all fine.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

The kids do not get water at night after they roost. The ones that can fly down to the ground usually stay in the roosts.

When I open the barn and the wire mesh stall pen they come a running for the feed and water. All i see is chicken butts.

I is REAL important that they get water. You would be amazed at how much water a chicken will drink to fullfiill its needs. I would say 24 hours is a long time. They are really good at finding water, but if they can not get out and it is hot, it will be a problem.

 

[NYREDS]

Adult birds being shipped often go 2-3 days w/o water & arrive in fine shape.