Do you feed in Coop at nite?

[dawnschickies]

I am wondering how much to feed the girls at nite in the coop? They have feed all day and are outside until dark in their pen but should I still give full container of food at nite? I have water in the coop at all times nite and day but just wondering about food. Thanks!

Dawn

 

[thebroodybunch]

I check on my chicks (8 weeks old) every morning and night. I always make sure their feeders and waterers are full all the time. They also are outside all day.

 

[ninny]

I free range mine on 4 acres and only feed them at night. The birds who are in pens are fed twice a day. If that doesn't seem like enough i will give them more.

 

[Chris09]

I keep my feeders full all the time (24/7)

Chris

 

[Sjisty]

I keep my feeders and waterers full all the time. They usually go in about an hour before sunset and go straight to their food dishes.

 

[GrannySue]

Food and water are outside only. In the pen, but the pen gate is open all day for free range. Inside is for roosting and sleeping, even during the long dark nights during the winter.
It's been 6 years since I started with chickens and so far I've had no ill effects.

 

[TurtleChick]

my girls' food and water are outside only. i bring the food into my house every night so as not to be a temptation for any night creatures.

i used to keep food/water in the coop and outside in the run, but ended up with uninvited rodent visitors INSIDE my coop (poor girls spent a night with a rat locked inside with them that i didn't see in the dark when i went out and closed up the coop that night). one of the girls used to prefer the inside feed too - so she wasn't spending as much time outside. i want them out in the fresh air during the day, so that was another reason.

so - no food/water inside and no more unwanted coop-guests. and the girls are doing just fine.

(i may put a water dish back into the coop this winter, as it was a very good indicator of the inside temps - the water never froze so i never worried that the girls were TOO cold).

 

[Equus5O]

I keep a huge waterer and the feeder out in run. At night, the feeder is taken into the shed. A small waterer and a dish of feed is kept in the coop. The girls aren't turned out until 7 or 8 in the morning, so I like them to have something to munch on until then. By the time I take the run feeder in at night, the coop dish is pretty much empty, so I know the feed is being eaten. So far as I know, no stray diners are munching in the coop.

 

[Kung Foo Chicken]

I feed enough to keep them filled all day and remove anything leftover at night because it attracts field rats here.

 

[Love my Critters!]

First

I keep food and water in the coop 24/7. Here where I live I don't have a problem with mice/rats. I have to keep the food in the coop because my chickens free range with 2 nigi goats that LOVE chicken food