Food and Water - Inside or out?

[luckyclucky]

I could be in the wrong thread... Anyways. We have 10 girls, 6 Red sexlinks, 2 black, and 2 Americanas. Originally we had only planned for 6 birds, but since we got the original ones we found that we didn't have enough. I just recently finished building the coop. I have posted some pictures around the site. The coop has 3 nesting boxes all 14x14x14 The coop has two nesting perches, both about 3.5ft wide, and 1-2 feet off the ground. I have been looking around a lot and am worried that this is not enough room for my chickens... Especially when they get big. Overall the coop is about 25 sq feet. A bit smaller than I had in-visioned.

MY question is in terms of water, and food inside the coop. As they are right now they eat about 2 quarts per day of food, and probably half a quart of water among the 8 of them. (Two Americanas are still in the brooder.) When my girls are all full grown, do they need to have a constant food and water supply in their coop overnight? The netted in area just outside of their coop is about 60 Square feet, and the fenced in yard which they will be allowed to run is somewhere near 250 sq feet (at estimate.)

I am working on formulating a plan to graduate them from their chick feeders that run out every 12 hours.

Thanks!! I know there is some controversy over this but all thoughts are welcome!

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Chickens do nothing but sleep at night. They don't need food or water at night. But, you will have to feed them first thing in the morning so the hens can lay their eggs.

I leave my feed and water in the coop all night because I have a tendency to sleep in in the morning. So, as soon as it gets light in the coop my girls get up, eat and by the time I get out to the coop, there are a few eggs!

 

[cafarmgirl]

I keep my feed and water inside the coop so it is protected from the weather and attracts less wild birds and other critters. But you are definitely short on square footage in the coop for that many birds so if you have to put feeders outside then that's what you have to do. They don't need it in with them overnight but I would pick it up and put it away at night so you don't attract rodents and other critters at night. If there is any way to expand your coop and run I would do so to avoid possible pecking problems. There will always be people who say you can squeeze birds into small spaces and you can....until you have a problem. Problems are always much easier avoided then solved.

 

[Sonya9]

I keep the feed inside the coop (to keep rodents from being attracted, coop has a floor and the chicken door is locked at night) and initially had the water inside too but discovered that the water container sometimes leaks. That made a big mess of bedding when 2-3 gallons of water soaked into the coop at night.

I get up early so no worries about them needing water and being locked in.

 

[Mama Kay W]

I keep their food and water inside. Even with 1/2" welded wire the mice can actually fit through the fence. I do keep one feeder out in the run but only put in what they will eat when they are outside. I still have mice reaching through the fence trying to get to what ever food then hens fling around.