Feed & water in the coop?

I have feeding and watering stations outside - it makes vermin problems less likely, and also will reduce food competition problems in the future for your flock (as the subordinates can get to food and escape from dominant chickens more readily than being trapped in a confined space.

I cover the feeding stations against rain, i should add.

Other people keep food in their coops so i guess you should do what suits you.

All the best
CT

 

When mine are little like that I tend to always keep water inside and out but the food just out. Once they are more grown though I put both outside. It just keeps it cleaner and as mentioned keeps mice out of the coop.

 

We have the feed inside, water both inside & out. Come winter we will have water inside only so the warmer can be plugged-in.

We've had no mice problems.

 

X2, exactly what I do. No mice probs here either.

 

I keep water and food outside year-round. What kind of chickens do you have? Mine are RIR and they were in a yard with a 6' privacy fence for a year and never escaped without clipping there wings.

 

I have feed and water inside. But my coop is a 10x10 area inside my barn, so space is not an issue. My chickens go in and out all day.

 

Quote: I have a flock of lots of different breeds, and I let them roam every day in my yards with a 6 ft fence. None have ever escaped. I think it is against their nature to fly blind. In other words, since they can't see to the other side of the fence, they are unlikely to want to run and fly over it when they have no idea what they would be flying to. They also don't want to get separated from the rest of the flock.