Feed inside coop or not??

[snowflake]

I keepp every thing outside, keeps cleaner inside as birds hang out more outside, also keeps mice and rodents down as there is no food fo them inside, I put the food in trash cans at night wich also discourages predators from coming in looking for food, even though my coop and run are fairly safe, 5ft 2x4fencing covered with heavey mesh, extra chicken wire around bottom and an electric wire 12" off the ground

 

[KnoxvilleChick]

Both food and water outside in the run for me. My 4x4 coop is elevated, and I keep the food and one waterer under there, so the feed stays dry. I have a second waterer out in the other end of the run also. I had it in the coop for a while....not a great plan with my small coop. Lots of spills and waste and mess! Plus, more poop in the coop since they spent more time in there.

My run isn't secure, so I shut the coop at night and let them out in the morning. They usually have the whole yard, not just the run, so they actually don't eat too much feed...they prefer bugs and grass and compost scraps. If I'm ever gone overnight, I don't worry about shutting the coop because the dog would also be out back, and he's pretty good at protecting the chickens from critters.

A note about my situation: here in TN RIver Valley, we don't really get extreme winter weather. In the 2 years I've had chickens, we've not had a heavy snow, and I've never felt the need to shut up the chickens for any length of time. That may make a difference.

 

[Hawkly88]

I am new to owning chickens but I keep the food and water inside and outside. They seem to like it both ways

 

[applecore5]

i have mine inside. i use a pvc gravity feeder that holds about 15lbs we use a 5 gallon bucket with nipples. my 4 chickens soon to be 15 live in a 9.5'x10' stall and have a 50'x60' run. but when i am home and outside they have a 3/4 acre pasture to free range in. they just go in the coop to eat or drink. i dont really worry about it. i have never had a problem with the water or feed making a mess in the coop. i use sand as bedding.

 

[iwanaplae2]

I keep water in the coop. I use an upside down milk jug with a chicken nipple because there are days when we have to be out of town all day and we'll lock them in the coop while we're gone. The girls love it! And it doesn't seem to make a mess at all. I still have food in the chick feeder. But when that's gone, it's gone! They know they get to eat outside in the run.

 

[vicki5112]

I'm new to chicken "farming" and when we first got our 2 girls, we had a rather small coop for them. We kept food & water in both places & still do but we have since upgraded their coop & have a different set up for the food & water in there now. In their smaller coop we had small PVC cups that my hubby put a hole in & then we fastened them up with a screw. The food was on one side of their roost & the water on the other side. When we had that set up they ate & drank pretty much what was in each. The cups held about a cup each. I Also kept food & water on the outside & they usually ate pretty much all the food in the feeder through out the day. Now that we have a bigger coop their water & food is hanging & they don't seem to use either now. The food & water is not located near the roost inside anymore. When I let them out, I set out fresh food every morning & they make a beeline to it as soon as they are left out. I'm concerned they are going to bed hungry now or else hungry in the morning till I let them out...lol They still get the same amount of food that they have always gotten but they just seem to eat it outside now. I'm not sure how to get them to use the inside ones anymore or if it matters when they eat their food.

 

[aggiemae]

We do not put any food or water inside the coop but our hens are out at dawn and don't go back into the coop except the lay egg until dusk. We have a 3 gallon waterer and a hopper style feeder in the run but the hens mostly like to be feed their supper right outside the back door and we like watching them eat.

IMO most of the coop I have seen would be pretty gross places to eat.

 

[write2caroline]

The answer is which ever is best for you. It really comes down to ease for you not only to replenish food and water but clean the feeding unit and waterer. If it does not require contortions to get to the feeder and waterer then it will be easier for you. My first coop was great for the chickens but I literally had to belly crawl to get into the tractor to refill the feeder and the waterer. That got really old really fast. Especially in rainy weather. We used to keep the chickens in the tractor and then finally we built a run and we fed and watered them outside the coop. Your situation may be different. I just know that if it is easy to get to and easy to clean I am going to be more committed to using that method than one that is more difficult that I might delay for weather or what not.


You might try a few methods. I find the avian watering system with the nibs is cleaner. Other people have other favorite methods. I have a few different kinds but in the run the nibs waterer is the easiest.

Caroline

 

[sarahr0612]

Ok, I'm confused. I am new to this chicken endeavor and really excited about it. I am the type that really reaches and studies a project before I commit. We are nearly finished with the coop and run, just finishing placement of nest, roost, etc inside of the coop. I have read conflicting info about keeping feed and water inside the coop. One place said never keep it inside, it helps keep everything cleaner, then yesterday on one of the forum feeds here, it said have feed and water inside the coop. HELP, what do I do? Need all the advise I can get. I know there needs to be food and water outside in the run, just confused about inside. Thanks for any help

I do both. I have a big bowl that I leave food in out in the chicken pen and a big water container. I also have hanging feeders in my coops with water so the chickens can eat as they please. It doesn't make a bigger mess for me. Hope This Helped!

 

[vicki5112]

Right now with only 2 chickens our coop is still pretty clean & odor is quite low as I clean their poop board daily and they rarely go on the floor (which at this point is straw covered on a vinyl floor) so our coop remains pretty neat & clean at this point. We will however be getting 6 more chickens by the end of the year & I expect that we will see then a much messier coop but at any rate I will still clean the coop daily. I plan on maintaining the food & water only in the coop once the weather gets bad here in PA. I will keep food & water in both places until then.