My New Coop! Suggestions for improvement?

[gina3785]

I am a newbie and just moved my three 7-week-old chicks into their new coop! I love looking out my back door and seeing them out there.

I just wanted to share a few pictures to a) add to the wealth of information that helped me so much when I was coop-planning, and b) see if anyone has any advice or suggestions on how I can make it better. My big concern right now is where to keep the food and water. They're currently hanging under the coop itself, and we have their chick feeder and waterer inside the coop. I'm trying to decide if the food and water should be kept inside only or outside only. We live in northern Illinois so have hot summers and cold winters, which makes me think inside might be better. However, I'm not sure if that would cause a giant mess in the coop and/or attract rodents. The coop itself is pretty secure (double-wall with insulation, linoleum over the plywood floor, etc), but I know rodents are sneaky. Thoughts? Also planning on putting sand down inside the run...

Coop and run



Inside the coop... the nest boxes are built into the door that swings open for us to access the coop.

 

[texas75563]

I would keep both the feed and water outside and off the ground. If you had to move water in during winter due to freezing condtions, off the floor and not under anything they could perch on. Chickens poop where ever they are at. They don't care where it falls are what it falls in.

 

[jasonmerritt]

I would keep both the feed and water outside and off the ground. If you had to move water in during winter due to freezing condtions, off the floor and not under anything they could perch on. Chickens poop where ever they are at. They don't care where it falls are what it falls in.

Agreed. I had th same type of waterer when the chicks were small. I screwed a little eye hook in by hand and it actually didn't break the vacuum. Was able to hang it up fine, until I switched over to a larger one as they grew.