Feed inside coop or not??

[Melinda48]

We started out keeping both water and feed inside. Ugh! What a mess! We use chicken nipples and now have two waterer s outside (much better). We do keep the feed inside. This system is working extremely well for us.

 

[Mon27]

I have open air coops so maybe it is different... but I leave my food and water in the coop. The chickens free range all day. The time I let them out varies though and I want them to have food and water all day. Also, if I go out of town they stay in their coop and must have food and water in there. I have a fan in there also and they come in for a snack and a nap several times a day as it is shady and cool in there. I dont find it to be messy at all. I even have two tubs for them to stand in and cool off. I feed mine in deep rubber tubs so that they can scratch around but the walls are too high for the food to spill out. I only put enough in there for two days so there is minimal poo in them and then just bang them outside every time I feed them again. There is literally zero waste. Hope this helps!

 

[Fat Man]

WE keep the feed inside to keep the goats out of it. Water is in the general area with nipples for the birds and goats.




The waterer is the bucket on the left. The chicken nipples are on the bottom.

 

[pickitfarm]

We provide water in and outside coop and feed outside. They also free range. We don't worry about rodents because we only feed them for what they will eat in a day so not feed is left in troughs overnight.

 

[MelissaTXRn]

My coop sits inside a secure run so we just keep our food and water in the run.

 

[Gifa]

Keep in mind... the more time they spend inside the coop, the more pooping they'll do in there.

I keep a large waterer and hanging feeder outside, and a small feeder inside. Water in the coop fouls more quickly... not sure why... They prefer the feeder and waterer outside... but since my run is uncovered, I bring the big feed can inside during wet weather... so, they still have the small one available inside the dry coop.

I scoop my coop once a day in the morning... and it stays spotless all day because for the most part, they spend their day out in the run.

 

[Boneheadeb]

I think it depends on the size of your coop and the size of your flock. I have a 4x8 coop for a dozen birds (give or take). They have an inside food dispenser which holds about 30# of feed and inside water elevated on a block, and extra outside water in a trough. I toss them scratch outside and whatever garden treats I can find. They are sometimes locked in at night, other times not, so I want to be sure they are not scrambling around looking for food before I open the door in the morning. Seems to be working so far. I may change it up over the winter as the weather turns, we'll see.

 

[jak2002003]

Keeping it inside or outside is personal preference.

Bad points about outside:

Birds will steal a lot of the food,
It can easily attract vermin and animals
It can get contaminated with wild bird poop which may spread disease to you chickens,
It can get spoiled by the weather, rain getting into it, damp, etc.

I prefer it in the coop. It keeps dry, no birds get in to eat it, and I can get up later from bed........I don't have to worry to let them out to feed, as the water and food are in there. lol.

 

[Alaskan]

Keeping it inside or outside is personal preference.

Bad points about outside:

Birds will steal a lot of the food,
It can easily attract vermin and animals
It can get contaminated with wild bird poop which may spread disease to you chickens,
It can get spoiled by the weather, rain getting into it, damp, etc.

I prefer it in the coop.  It keeps dry, no birds get in to eat it, and I can get up later from bed........I don't have to worry to let them out to feed, as the water and food are in there.  lol.

Totally agree with the above, but there are also bad points for keeping it inside
It can attract vermin, which are now inside your coop
Chickens are inside more, so more poop inside
Fallen ignored feed can mold and rot, super bad in an enclosed space

With that said...i do it halfway between. I have an insulated coop that is attached to a dirt floor, lots of ventilation roofed lean to. My food and water are both in the lean to.

 

[Chambertin]

We really have to worry about rats, so it must be kept inside the coop overnight.
We then take the bins out in the morning to encourage most early morning and day leavings outside.
Most ofthen they eat whatever was leftover at night and we refresh for the day in the morning when we take the food bins out.
Water we keep one pot inside and 3 outside. (Helps to have concrete floors)