Very new to all this, in fact my coop and run are still being put together. I have a 4X6 coop with 6 nesting boxes. My run is an old 22X12 greenhouse (all glass removed). My question is from what I have been reading, an age old question. Should I have the feeder hanging in the coop or out in the run? The same question for the water. From what I have read, they do not eat at night or when returning to the coop in the evening. I will be screening in the old greenhouse frame, the frame of the greenhouse sits on a three concrete block foundation with a footer so I am not too concerned about "others" getting in at night to get at the food. I can always put the feeder away for the night. So the bottom line is, leave the food outside with nothing offered in the coop? The same question for the birds water as well. Thanks for your help with this!! Pete
For the time being I've been keeping my chicks inside and bring their food and water out when I put them in their run for the day. Once their coop is finished I still think I'll put both outside and get an extra waterer for inside (eventually both, but I'm gonna get the waterer first). I've noticed that they seem to drink way more when they're outside so I figured I wouldn't be wasting anything if I put one in both the outside and inside.
i put food and water inside and outside. and always put more water than you think they'll need. especially in hot weather. the food you just need to make sure is shielded from the weather so it doesn't get wet.
I keep it outside unless weather permits me otherwise. I put it in their feeders and throw it on the ground since that is their natural way to eat and it always ends up on the ground anyway from them scratching the feeder lol. And I have waterers EVERYWHERE, especially with how hot it has been here. I have feed pans that I use for waterers, they like to stand in it and drink. I put all of the waterers outside except for one.
Hi! I used to have no water inside and feed both in and out...until last winter (my first with chickens). We had snow and the chickens would NOT walk across the snow to get to their water, about a foot away from the pop door! I had to shovel a path for them to the water. Then they all ran over and drank. I felt really bad and now I have both food and water inside as well as outside!
Yup, I have two of each in the attached run to my coop and one of each on the insdie of the coop. I bring in all the food out in the run in everynight. We have a major rat problem.
Mine tend to wander into the coop an hour or two before sunset, and definitely do some eating and drinking then. (They don't eat after dark, that's true.) I've always kept mine in the coop. I never wanted them to have to wait if they got up before I did. It's more convenient for my setup, too, though, to have the feed in the coop.
I have water and food in the coop only. They wander in and out all day long. Come in before dark and eat some, then go to bed. Treats of any sort, I put in the run.
Right now we have a pvc feeder in the coop and a bucket auto feeder in the run-even if it rains the bucket feeder keeps the feed dry. We only have water in the coop right now but I'm planning to eventually have it outside too.
