Free range question

[LyndsayJade]

My chickens free range and are kept in a coop at night. I currently keep a feeder in their coop, but I'm curious, should I keep the feeder in their coop or should it be kept out of the coop? Or would it be best to not use a feeder at all and just sprinkle several scoops of feed out on the ground once or twice a day?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I don’t keep food in the coop to avoid attracting pests to the coop. I feed the chickens in the run but twice a day so there is no leftover food sitting around. I don’t know if that helps answer your question but my chickens will eat a bit first thing then run off into the woods and not come back until the afternoon or to lay eggs. When I go get eggs I give them another scoop of food and it’s gone by the time I lock them up.

 

[azygous]

Chickens don't usually hang around inside their coop. We normally feed them in the run so they have food handy where they spend most of their time. If they free range, not spending any time in their run, then they are finding plenty to eat in the woods.

And no, it's not a good idea to serve them their feed by throwing it on the ground where it can gather bacteria and get moldy. You could end up with some sick chickens.

 

[LyndsayJade]

I don’t keep food in the coop to avoid attracting pests to the coop. I feed the chickens in the run but twice a day so there is no leftover food sitting around. I don’t know if that helps answer your question but my chickens will eat a bit first thing then run off into the woods and not come back until the afternoon or to lay eggs. When I go get eggs I give them another scoop of food and it’s gone by the time I lock them up.

Do you think because I keep the food in the coop, it makes the coop too busy and then hens will not want to use the nesting boxes? That's another issue I'm having.

 

[azygous]

Do you have curtains on the nest boxes for privacy? Usually, it won't matter if there is other activity in the coop as long as a hen can settle comfortably in a nest behind a curtain.

 

[LyndsayJade]

Do you have curtains on the nest boxes for privacy? Usually, it won't matter if there is other activity in the coop as long as a hen can settle comfortably in a nest behind a curtain.

This is the set up that i have.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I'm with @azygous on this, and I free range my birds - they have acres.

Keeping food in the coop attracts vermin, not good. Simply scattering food attracts all sorts of things, again, not good. Throw them some scratch, if you must, for entertainment and to encourage them to scratch/forage in an area, but do NOT consider Scratch to be a significant part of meeting their nutritional needs daily. Nor should you use much - scratch is high fat, low value feed. Like nachos chips w/ cheese sauce, its an occasional treat, not the basis of a balanced diet.

That's a lot of boxes. How many birds do you have? I would put a back on those, and move it to a place that is shaded or otherwise protected. Hens laying eggs won't be comfortable where they can be approached from opposite sides - they want to be hidden from potential predators. At one point, I stapled some denim to the front of my boxes, hung about 2/3 of the way down. The birds would duck under, do their business, leave.

 

[LyndsayJade]

I'm with @azygous on this, and I free range my birds - they have acres.

Keeping food in the coop attracts vermin, not good. Simply scattering food attracts all sorts of things, again, not good. Throw them some scratch, if you must, for entertainment and to encourage them to scratch/forage in an area, but do NOT consider Scratch to be a significant part of meeting their nutritional needs daily. Nor should you use much - scratch is high fat, low value feed. Like nachos chips w/ cheese sauce, its an occasional treat, not the basis of a balanced diet.

That's a lot of boxes. How many birds do you have? I would put a back on those, and move it to a place that is shaded or otherwise protected. Hens laying eggs won't be comfortable where they can be approached from opposite sides - they want to be hidden from potential predators. At one point, I stapled some denim to the front of my boxes, hung about 2/3 of the way down. The birds would duck under, do their business, leave.

I have 14 chickens and plan on getting more. I appreciate all the guidance! I will definitely make some changes to make everything more inviting for tham and move the feeder out of the coop

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I have 14 chickens and plan on getting more. I appreciate all the guidance! I will definitely make some changes to make everything more inviting for tham and move the feeder out of the coop

Good luck on your chicken keeping journey!

I was up to near 100 at one point. Around 20 at present. Considering one last incubation before packing it up for the year.

 

[LyndsayJade]

Good luck on your chicken keeping journey!

I was up to near 100 at one point. Around 20 at present. Considering one last incubation before packing it up for the year.

I have not tried incubating eggs yet...lol Might give it a try once I feel more confident with my flock. This is my first flock and I'm only 7 months in, so I have a lot to learn yet