我赞同你的看法(但是句首单词的首字母应该大写):这里不定式后面的介词应不可以省略,即they had a big separate house to raise dozens of chickens in./they had a big separate house in which they could raise dozens of chickens.
曹老师,您好。我有幸阅读过您之前对于不定式作后置定语时不定式后介词的省略问题的解答,深有感悟!
我以我的愚见归纳了下当不定式与中心词构成逻辑上动状关系
中心词为四大修饰性状语词(time place way reason)时不定式后面的介词允许被省略。(若保留及构成动宾关系,且为了简洁一般都省略)但现在我们反观这2018年的全国卷改错题,原题答案是把chicken改为chickens。但我发现这里不定式与被修饰的中心词构成逻辑上的动状关系。但中心词(house)并不属于英语中四大修饰性状语词,但不定式后面的介词却被省略了,我对此提出疑问。我认为这里不定式后面的介词应不可以省略,即they had a big separate house to raise dozens of chickens in./they had a big separate house in which they could raise dozens of chickens.
不知这是不是仅仅是我个人的错误观念,若观点错误我应尽早纠正希望得到答复!