All y'all here are enablers, dang you! We were only going to get 3-4 and now we have 8. Wow. When is the meeting? The chicaholic meeting? Every Tuesday at 7, right? I'll be there, but only to watch you 'holics and laugh.
So, the food and water is outside. Hanging so the mice don't get in it? I think we did a pretty good job of making ours predator proof also, burying the wire 2 feet out from the run to stop the digging animals. And no bird will get thru the run, with its' 2x4 wire. Small things yes, but not any large ones. I've heard here that a big possum can get thru the 2x4 tho, and also have read on this forum that possums have been found roosting with the chickens!
You dont have to hang it. But it does have pluses. I have a big trough feeder outside in run so i can hang mine. I do have a 5 gallon water bucket with nipples hanging tho. But also have a large pan down on ground for ducks to drink. Here soon I will have to get the little pools out for the ducks.