Best place to keep food/water?

[ScrambledChick]

Where do most of you leave the food and water? I have a covered run and put it out there. We have only had the chickens a couple of days. I've read some people keep it in the coop, some keep it in the run and others keep it in both. I had to also put it in the coop yesterday since they won't come out. I would rather have them outside as much as possible once they are comfortable. Is it okay to only leave it in the run? Will they eventually come out when they get hungry/thirsty enough? Thanks.

 

[Going Quackers]

I keep it in both, mind you the run is not attached i never leave it overnight, this reduces waste and the lure of predators coming for food at night.

With you having a covered run, you have a differing option, if your sure it will stay clean & dry and the run is predator proof you can certainly leave it there, especially if you feel your coop could do with the space of it left out. Have they been shown where it is? perhaps scatter some treats around the location to draw them to it.

 

[topher166]

We keep ours in the coop.. they can come and go as they please through out the day (free ranged for now) building a run. I find it helps keep the birds closer, they tend to come back for a drink every now and then.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I keep feed in the coop (big feeder holds 200#) and water outside in the summer. In the winter, I hang a 7 gallon waterer. If you have the option, I'd NOT put water in the coop. That just introduces another source of moisture and you'll clean the shavings more often. I really dislike the months when my pasture waterer is frozen for this reason. I am always thrilled the first days I don't have to have water in the coop.

Your hens don't need food and water in the coop overnight unless you are really late in the morning going out to let them out.

 

[jennyp0208]

Our coop ended up smaller than expected so ours are in the fully covered, attached run. We'll probably not shut the pop door once they're fully acclimated to sleeping inside so they can get up and eat in the morning regardless of when we make it out. We've got a small 5-chick backyard flock downtown.

 

[ScrambledChick]

The run is attached to the coop, has a solid roof, doors that lock and is completely covered in wire mesh hardware cloth. The coop and run are placed in a larger area that is fenced in with wire mesh and a gate, and on top of that my entire yard is fenced with 4ft wood picket. They have to go out the pop door and down a ramp into the run. My only concern is that they do not come out at all today and go without food and water. Yesterday around 2:00 pm I put food and water in the coop because they had nothing all day.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

The run is attached to the coop, has a solid roof, doors that lock and is completely covered in wire mesh hardware cloth. The coop and run are placed in a larger area that is fenced in with wire mesh and a gate, and on top of that my entire yard is fenced with 4ft wood picket. They have to go out the pop door and down a ramp into the run. My only concern is that they do not come out at all today and go without food and water. Yesterday around 2:00 pm I put food and water in the coop because they had nothing all day.

Is this a new space for them?

You might try making them a "breadcrumb trail" to the food, where you put something delicious like scratch or grapes or strawberries on the ramp down to the run and see if you can lure them out. Because you do want them to come out eventually, so giving them food and water inside all the time isn't practical. You might want to give them water but no food, for example, so they'll come out if they get hungry.

Once the bravest hen comes out, others will follow.

 

[ScrambledChick]

Yes, this is new for them. They person I got them from kept them in a barn so it's a different set up. They never came out today, I put some food and water in but when I close the door tonight I will take it out. I cleaned the coop this morning and they are using the nest boxes to hide in. I think I will have to block them off until they figure everything out.

 

[ScrambledChick]

I also tried to leave a trail down the ramp of blueberries yesterday and carrots today, they were not interested.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I can see them ignoring carrots, but blueberries are a prime treat! I'm out of ideas on this one.