Feed in coop at night?

[salzw59]

I have a flock of 12 (7 black javas and 5 mottled javas) that range in age from 13 weeks to approx 6.5 or 7 months. I am feeding grower feed, have oyster shell available and grit available at all times and give them scratch in the afternoons. I let them out of the coop around 6:30 am into a large pen and they put themselves up around 8:30ish right now, then I go close up the coop.

I always put a container of fresh water in the coop and I have also been leaving a smaller container of the grower feed in as well. I read a thread earlier that seemed to indicate I might want to rethink leaving food in with them over night.

Any advice or insights would be welcome.

 

[ChickenExtreme]

I have a flock of 12 (7 black javas and 5 mottled javas) that range in age from 13 weeks to approx 6.5 or 7 months. I am feeding grower feed, have oyster shell available and grit available at all times and give them scratch in the afternoons. I let them out of the coop around 6:30 am into a large pen and they put themselves up around 8:30ish right now, then I go close up the coop.

I always put a container of fresh water in the coop and I have also been leaving a smaller container of the grower feed in as well. I read a thread earlier that seemed to indicate I might want to rethink leaving food in with them over night.

Any advice or insights would be welcome.

I was doing that to, but got wise and quite, I do keep fresh water in there, but not feed anymore. They don't seem to sleep/roost, if there's feed out, lol.

 

[brownboi2012]

always have fresh water for them in this heat. some chickens cant take the heat as well as others. unless you dont mind taking her inside til she recuperates. i had it happen to me recently.

 

[lorain's fids]

I have a flock of 12 (7 black javas and 5 mottled javas) that range in age from 13 weeks to approx 6.5 or 7 months. I am feeding grower feed, have oyster shell available and grit available at all times and give them scratch in the afternoons. I let them out of the coop around 6:30 am into a large pen and they put themselves up around 8:30ish right now, then I go close up the coop.

I always put a container of fresh water in the coop and I have also been leaving a smaller container of the grower feed in as well. I read a thread earlier that seemed to indicate I might want to rethink leaving food in with them over night.

Any advice or insights would be welcome.

I didn't see that particular thread, but what is wrong with food in the coop? I have 5 chickens-during the day the food is kept in their run, but at night when I "tuck them in" I bring the food into their coop and hang it up. I'm not bringing it in so they can snack-I just bring it in so it's not left in the run all night . Plus they get up when the sun is coming up, so now they are ley out around 5:20/5:30 and they are in the coop around 8:00/8;30. On some of the hot nights we have had(not many-thank goodness) I have been leaving the water in the coop. But none of them seem to get off the roost once they are on it in the evening.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Everyone finds their own best practices.

I feed at 6 am, so they do not need to wait for feed in the morning.
They get all the feed they can consume during the day. They do not want for feed.
That said, NO, no way I leave feed out, in the coop overnight, while the birds are sleeping on their roosts. Feed is far too expensive to feed rodents. The rodent challenge is difficult enough without contributing to it by assisting them in providing a nocturnal feeding frenzy.

 

[flewdacoop]

i have a chicken tractor and the only place mine eat is in the coop and drink i dont have a roost in the coop just outside in the run about 2 1/2 feet of the ground they do get on it during the day sometimes but not at night should i put a roost inside also and do i need to leave the water and food outside are where it is because they are eating and drinking good..

 

[salzw59]

always have fresh water for them in this heat. some chickens cant take the heat as well as others. unless you dont mind taking her inside til she recuperates. i had it happen to me recently.

Oh, they ALWAYS have fresh water available. In a hanging waterer inside the coop and in multiple water sources in the run during the day. Since it has been up around 100, I have been putting a mister hose over the end of the pen to keep things a bit cooler during the heat of the day and I water down the roof of the coop frequently as well.

I do not leave any feed out in the pen at night, but had been hanging one container of feed in the coop when I tuck them in. I could see how it could possibly attract rodents, though.

 

[salzw59]

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[salzw59]

i have a chicken tractor and the only place mine eat is in the coop and drink i dont have a roost in the coop just outside in the run about 2 1/2 feet of the ground they do get on it during the day sometimes but not at night should i put a roost inside also and do i need to leave the water and food outside are where it is because they are eating and drinking good..

They need water wherever they are, especially during the day.
They sleep on roosts, so yes, they need to be in the coop.