Free Range Chickens - Food and Water outside coop?

[OwensChickens]

Hi - Newbies here. We are planning on 12 or so free range chickens. We have a 10.5' x 6.5' coop with eves. I was wondering if the chickens need to have food and/or water available inside the coop? Or is having both available outside just fine? It would be much easier to do both outside the coop, under the eve. What do you all say?

 

[OwensChickens]

Pics of their yard;





and coop (not finished obviously);

 

[tymimo]

If the food is outside it will be accessible to other creatures as well. Although even if you put the food in the coop I'm guessing rodents will be able to get to it but maybe not as many birds.

 

[4 the Birds]

Hi - Newbies here. We are planning on 12 or so free range chickens. We have a 10.5' x 6.5' coop with eves. I was wondering if the chickens need to have food and/or water available inside the coop? Or is having both available outside just fine? It would be much easier to do both outside the coop, under the eve. What do you all say?

I do both in the coop and in the run with water and feed. Smaller coops may consider only feed in the run. As long as the feed is under roofing and stays dry then you are good to go. I like to have multiple water and feed locations so that the birds on the bottom of the pecking order have access with squabbles. Net or mesh on the run fencing will keep our raiding sparrows.

 

[OwensChickens]

I do both in the coop and in the run with water and feed. Smaller coops may consider only feed in the run. As long as the feed is under roofing and stays dry then you are good to go. I like to have multiple water and feed locations so that the birds on the bottom of the pecking order have access with squabbles. Net or mesh on the run fencing will keep our raiding sparrows.

The chickens will be free range. we do worry about wild birds and others if the feed is outside the coop. They will be locked up at night and I think this means I should provide food and water inside the coop.

I think I have the water figured out, well at least what I want to try. I am going to hang a 5 gallon bucket with nipple waterers on the front eve. I will run some tubing attached to a few of the nipples into the coop. They will then have access to water inside and outside. Keeping the buckets from freezing won't be hard, but not sure about the tubing.

I am going to build a feeder PVC feeder out of 4" ABS. I need to figure out how to run it giving us access outside to fill it and not getting messed by being under roosts.

 

[BrendaJ]

I keep water/food in the run just outside the coop door. They get to free range during the day as well. It really depends on your unique set up - everyone's coops/runs are different.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

If they will only be using the coop to lay eggs in and to sleep at night then there is no need to leave food and water in there. Once they go in at dusk to sleep that's all they are doing, they've watered and filled their crops before going to roost. In summer when mine are free ranging longer I provide a second water dispenser under a tree in the yard otherwise the food and water are under the coop (on stilts) which is in a run.

 

[OwensChickens]

Thanks! Still not certain what I will be doing. I am thinking keep food in the coop just to help to keep wild critters out of it. I am still undecided on water.