Food and water inside coop?

[John Silva]

This may be a dumb question but im new to this. Do chickens feed and drink during the night? Ive been putting the feeder and water in the coop when they go in for the night just to keep the field mice out of it and also so the water dont freeze. any input is more than welcome thanks

 

[Lauren Kim]

They can sometimes get up just for a sip, but it is unlikely because they don't have night vision. We have an outdoor heater that keeps the water from freezing.

 

[Smuvers Farm]

You can put their food and water anywhere you want. Some do outside, some in the run, some in the coop. Do chickens eat and drink during the night? As far as I know, they sleep during the night, not eat or drink. If you are a late starter in the morning, you might want to give them food and water in their coop.

we use fermented feed, and they get fed and water in their runs during the day. Both coops stay OPEN throughout the night (as they open into a secure run), and I've never seen or head any of our chickens wander out from their coop during the night to get a drink or a midnight snack!

 

[chuckachucka]

They don't eat or drink at night without a light source but they will appreciate the early morning snack before venturing out. I provide food and water both inside the coop and inside the run as I find having as many sources of food and water as possible reduces squabbles in the flock.

 

[lazy gardener]

No, they don't come down off their perch after dark to eat/drink. However, it's a good idea to not leave feed accessible to rodents during the night. Once you have a rodent issue, it's very hard to get rid of. I went 5 years without issue. Rats found me this summer.

As SF says, I also use fermented feed. That helps cut down on pilfering by rodents AND wild birds. My goal is to not have any FF left over at the end of the day. If I do, I cover it. However, in our sub zero temps, I've put FF on hold for a short time.

 

[chuckachucka]

i

No, they don't come down off their perch after dark to eat/drink. However, it's a good idea to not leave feed accessible to rodents during the night. Once you have a rodent issue, it's very hard to get rid of. I went 5 years without issue. Rats found me this summer.

As SF says, I also use fermented feed. That helps cut down on pilfering by rodents AND wild birds. My goal is to not have any FF left over at the end of the day. If I do, I cover it. However, in our sub zero temps, I've put FF on hold for a short time.

i've had a problem with rats too this year. I found a hole into the run that I had to fix to stop them getting to the food. I have never tried fermenting.

 

[John Silva]

we live out in the country with corn fields on 3 sides of the property so yeah we have field mice lol thanks

 

[Frazzemrat1]

They don't eat in the dark, and I agree with others. I personally bring in my feed at night where mice can't get to it, as I do currently have a mouse problem in my run. I worry if the feed is in the coop, the mice will find a way into the coop.