FOOD IN THE COOP

[penquin]

I have pellets and scratch in the coop for my girls and they really don't eat that much of it, is it good to have food in there for them?

penquin

 

[AlienChick]

I keep food inside the coop 24/7 for my girls.
They'll eat whenever they're hungry.
Right now there are so many worms (from the rain we've had) that my girls spend most of their time foraging.
Be thankful you're saving on your food bill!

 

[EggyErin]

I have a wall-mount feeder for their crumbles and a hanging feeder for the game bird feed, which the squirrels love. I often remove the hanging feeder after I let them out, then hang it back up toward the end of the day when the girls are getting ready to head back to the coop.

 

[tlagnhoj]

No food or water in my coop. But it's tiny and they're only in there to lay or sleep.

Is it good to have food/water in the coop? It's not bad, but if they're not using it, it's not necessary either.

 

[galanie]

Food in the coop does attract squirrels, birds, mice, and rats. I no longer keep any in it. But many do. It's totally up to you. Some people's setups are such that it's just the best place to have it.

 

[citychickx6]

Food in the coop does attract squirrels, birds, mice, and rats. I no longer keep any in it. But many do. It's totally up to you. Some people's setups are such that it's just the best place to have it.

I am removing the food and water from the coop today. I have been reading and reading trying to figure out what has been going on in my coop that has my hens all naked. Turns out it is MICE. The buggers have been sneaking in after dark and chewing the feathers off my sleeping hens. I am doing a coop redo today in hopes of blocking them out of the coop. I guess that is one thing I did not think of.

 

[joan1708]

I don't keep food in my coop either. I do keep water in there. I also put my feeders in a metal trash can at night after I close up the coop to discourage night time visitors.

 

[snoggle]

If you have any cats, I would try to entice them to hang out around your coop too. We have several barns with horse feed everywhere and have yet to see any evidence of mice or rats. We have several barn cats running around. If you need a cat, I'm sure someone will dump another one off here soon.....

 

[DawnCols]

My cats love chicken . . . (and mice too.)

 

[AlienChick]

I don't have mice anywhere within 100 yards of my barn since my dogs always seem to find them and eat them.