Food and water in the coop or in the run?

[speyerk]

That makes sense for 4 seasons weather, Do you have your coop wired for heat in the winter? It's funny, sometimes I catch myself worrying that the birds are getting to cold when it is cooler and rainy, then I remind myself that nobody has ever frozen to death in Hawaii.LOL

 

[ECBW]

My coop is tight with all sorts of windows and vent flaps. It is not insulated and not heated (would be a waste heating an un-insulated box). It does have electricity via extension cord for waterer warmer and for light (so I can service the flock in the winter since I do not see my house in daylight during those days).

Isn't it rather boring to have 80-degree sunny day every day?

 

[speyerk]

Not really, we live on a high ridge and it can get down to the low 60's (I know, boo-hoo) so we have 2 seasons, summer (hotter and drier) and winter (cooler, windy and rainy) so its not monotonous. The change in temp gets more noticeable over time, we sleep in flannels and blankets most nights. No daylight savings here and the sunrise/sunset difference between winter and summer is only 1 hour.

 

[Lute]

I keep both food and water in the coop. During the summer we'll put an extra waterer in the run but that's it.

 

[ChicKat]

Hi Speyerk,

cute coop, for sure. My feed and water are always out in the run. The only thing my chickens do in the coop is lay eggs and sleep.

You are right that they won't eat or drink at night generally, so you see them drinking first thing in the morning and before they go in for the night, as well as during the day....feeding is the same.

Wild birds can eat a lot of your feed. Is there a way to use hardware cloth on the openings so that the wild birds access is restricted? Maybe your chickens can learn to come out a small opening and go in --- and the wild birds would have a harder time getting in and out to gobble your chicken feed. (Especially since your chickens are already going in and out)---if you modified access a little bit-- it might just possibly prevent wild birds.

With your mild climate in HI--- outdoors would work well.

 

[speyerk]

Thanks ChicKat,

I broke down and ordered a step feeder so only the chickens will be able to get at the feed. Thanks for the advice though!

 

[OnceAroundTheBlock]

My pullets spend all their daytime hours in the run, so I keep food and water in the run. I am in no way an expert, just my first flock, but in my observation they spend 90% of their time in the enclosed run.

Same here.

 

[Montana-Hens]

I have a water dish & small hanging feeder in the coop. I put down small black rubber dishes in the run. In the winter I use heated dog dishes. The dish mostly likely to go dry first is the one on the run.

 

[CarolJ]

I keep food and water in the coop, and I keep water in the run. The chickens go in and out of the coop during the day to eat and to lay eggs. I also regularly give them table scraps and scratch in the run. Our coop is pretty much secure - the pop door is open all day but closed at night - and so I don't worry much about mice or other creatures inside.

 

[00 Turok]

@ speyerk... I love ur avatar. What is that; a 50 gage? LoL