food + water , in coop or out, conterversy

[XilverAngel]

We have food both in the run and in the coop, it doesnt really matter, since ur run is always accessible to the chickens. But if you want to make sure the food or water doesnt go bad with dirt or other things in it, you can put some in the coop.

 

[MaggieRae]

I keep food in the coop simply because other critturs are likely to steal it if you leave it out. I'm also afraid of water getting in it.

I keep water both in AND outside of the coop because I live in Texas, and the chicks drink a lot of water. This way it's easily accessible to them at any time.

Another thing about keeping the food inside, is it makes them go into the coop when they're hungry. When they were young and just moving into the coop, this really helped train them they had to go home to roost at night.

 

[TechEdFireman]

I keep the feed and water in the coop. This past summer after getting ducks the water stays outside b/c well...the ducks would "drink" 8 gallons of water in a days time. For the winter they will move to their own coop.

 

[Klorinth]

Feeders and water are both inside. But for mine that means in the sunporch.

Basically the same as a porch or veranda but enclosed with polycarbonate panels to keep the weather out. Nice little bit of passive solar design that is(so far) giving my birds a nice protected space. It's brand new so there will be bugs to work out, but it keeps the food and water protected and should allow the ladies to enjoy their food and sun time even in the freezing days of winter.

 

[kristenm1975]

Once I realized I was feeding an ever-increasing population of rats and small birds by putting food out and just topping it off whenever it was running low, I switched to just tossing in the amount that was needed for each day before I left for work.

It took a little research to find out how much each bird needed and to calculate how much to scoop out, but once I did that work, it made it a lot easier on a daily basis. My feed bill dropped by about 30% immediately. When I would arrive home in the evening, I would give the girls a good scattering of cracked corn so they would have something solid in their "bellies" before bed.

This was I was sure that none of the food was ever wasted. The girls knew that this was their food and that if they wanted it, they better eat it and not let those little birds get to it.

Hope this helps!