Should I have water and feed in the coop? Pro's & Con's

[Vicker]

I went through a spell using a chickshaw that didn't have room for food/water. That didn't last long. When they're locked in without food and water, I'm on their morning schedule. They wake up and are ready to roll long before I'm ready to go outside to let them out. Most of the time I've had set-ups with food and water in the coop. My husband attached a gravity feed-box to the wall. It holds about 25 lbs of feed. The trough has slots that prevent the birds from scattering food on the ground. The lid is slanted so they can't sit on it and poop. I hang a small waterer above the ground. If I expect a freeze, I put a heated bucket on the ground temporarily.

 

[NickyPick]

I feel that everyone saying they don't have rodents eating the food at night should get a game cam. It might surprise you. Their bodies are liquid, like cats. Anywhere their head can fit, they can fit. When I lived in a subdivision, we had a huge rat and squirrel problem. I get cayenne pepper in bulk from Amazon and mix that in their feed. Doesn't bother the hens at all, but the rodents won't eat it.
I keep my feed and water outside in the covered part of their run. I use troughs and buckets. I tried inside back in the beginning, but they made too much of a mess inside.

 

[DobieLover]

I feel that everyone saying they don't have rodents eating the food at night should get a game cam. It might surprise you. Their bodies are liquid, like cats. Anywhere their head can fit, they can fit. When I lived in a subdivision, we had a huge rat and squirrel problem. I get cayenne pepper in bulk from Amazon and mix that in their feed. Doesn't bother the hens at all, but the rodents won't eat it.
I keep my feed and water outside in the covered part of their run. I use troughs and buckets. I tried inside back in the beginning, but they made too much of a mess inside.

I leave my food in the run and I have no mice or rats in the run. And, yes, I have a camera set up to record any motion in the run. I also have the entire thing enclosed with 1/2" hardware cloth and a solid roof. Nothing gets in except for baby garter snakes that I have to rescue from the chickens if I get there in time.

 

[jspeese]

I keep feed and water in the coop, hanging containers so the chickens have more floor room and won't scratch as much bedding into them. The water is less likely to freeze (in the Savannah River Valley we don't get a lot of freezing nights, but we still get some), and the feed is protected from the elements and won't attract songbirds. I like songbirds, but I don't want them in my chicken coop and run. And they are small enough to fit through the mesh on the top of the run.

 

[BarnyardNCIS]

Thanks everyone for your replies. Very helpful. I will add that my 12X20 run will be completely covered and predator proof. Just thought I would bring your attention to that. Thanks

Just another thought: I hang my feeder by a chain from the rafters above and keep water both inside (on bricks off the floor) and outside of the coop in the run on an old computer stand. My daughter lost chickens due to them being locked outside of the coop accidentally when water was inside. We change the water daily.

 

[Peggsblueinc]

I am designing my new coop & run build for this spring. It will be a 6x6 coop with a 12x20 run attached. Should I have the feed and water in the coop or the run. What is the best? I tend to lean towards the coop being just for roosting with no water or feed. What are your thoughts? Thanks

I have mine inside coop. The water and feeder are set aside so no one gets poop in food or water. I only have a few that roost inside coop the rest love the trees inside the run. Since it freezes here I have warmer on water. I still have a water supply in run and only give them treats in run. So to each his own. I’m thinking of enlarging coop? Also get a few more girls. To offset the molting season.

 

[marilyn1954]

Well, it's really up to you.

Benefit of having the feed in the coop is you won't have to worry as much about moisture damage, or mold in the feed from rain or other weather. They'll have access before you let them out in the morning.

Down sides: rodents may get in the coop looking for food. they might poop in it a lot if it ends up under the roost or if they're able to sit on the edge of it. They'll likely dig it out of what ever container you have it in, and have it scattered over the floor. With close quarters, if the water's near by it could easily get wet and mold.

Benefit to having the water in the coop is that you won't have to worry about them having water first thing before you let them out.

Downsides: Bedding gets kicked into it, if you have the store bought red screw bottom auto waterer, you'll need to empty the trough through the day so they have water, or you could raise it off the floor and risk them tipping it over and completely emptying on the floor. If you have a large open container, once it gets below half full they'll likely tip it over and dump it over the floor.
Humidity and possible frost bite in the winter.

---

Outside:

Feed pros: They'll actually eat through the day, when they're outside. (Mine free range and refuse to go inside to eat.)
I haven't had the feed outside much myself, so there may be more pros.

Feed cons: Wildlife of all kinds will eat it, and possibly spread disease to your flock. So far I've found this to include rodents, birds, and raccoons.
Moisture, which I suppose could be avoided with the right kind of feeder. Any feed that's scratched or dug out on to the ground could cause a problem though. I ended up just running out and grabbing it if it started raining.
It needs to be locked up at night, which means either moving it inside, or having a feeder that is lockable. (If you have cats be warned they will use feed as a litter box)

Water: I actually prefer it outside. It's not possible during the winter for me.

Pros: Keeps the coop cleaner and dry. It doesn't get full of bedding. In good weather when they don't want to go back inside at all, they still have access to water.

Cons: Sunlight can cause algae to grow inside the waterer, which can make your flock sick/kill them if it isn't cleaned out regularly, they don't have access before being let out in the morning, in bad weather they might not go out. It'll freeze faster in the winter.

They are not in the coops much, so why make the mess of water and food in there? I only have bedding and poop to clean up. easy peasy. Mine free range, and i give very little food, they eat mostly bugs, butterflies, mice, frogs and worms. The little food and cracked corn i give is a treat that is gobbled up in minutes!

 

[Rose Quartz]

They are not in the coops much, so why make the mess of water and food in there? I only have bedding and poop to clean up. easy peasy. Mine free range, and i give very little food, they eat mostly bugs, butterflies, mice, frogs and worms. The little food and cracked corn i give is a treat that is gobbled up in minutes!

It's up to you, if that's what you want to do. Everyone has different circumstances. I have 2' of snow and it was -23C (-9F) here with the wind yesterday. Not much forage available for them right now. XD I didn't want to be out in that. My birds refuse to leave the coop this time of year and I don't blame them.

 

[ShirleyGail]

I had a small used 3X4 coop and 4X8 attached run with 5 hens for 5 yrs. The run was made of poultry wire over the metal frame of a carrier for a tractor engine. I kept food and water in the run. I had 4" PVC pipe through the top for a feeder, and a metal pan for water. Lost my entire flock 3 yr ago to coyotes and weasels--tore up the chicken wire starting where the pipe came through, then had a picnic with my hens. So I covered the entire run frame in hardware cloth and put feeder and waterer from TSC inside the run. I got 12 chicks at Rural King--Half turned out to be roosters, a snake ate 3, so I have 1 amber sex-link and 2 black sex link hens. They lay the best big brown eggs. But the feeder and waterer were always messy and dirty. This summer the plywood floor of the coop finally rotted out. So I now have a new coop but the run isn't attached yet. My girls are free-ranging. I have an electric dog water heater (TSC $15.00) for winter, inside the coop. It hasn't frozen and is sturdy enough that the hens haven't tipped it over, but would do better on a capblock, I think. I put a rope around the rafter and made a swinging feeder out of the one I got at TSC. So the girls can't spill it. I'll attach the old run to the new house when warm weather comes. When I had to repair it, I had put a piece of conduit across the top, then hardware cloth over the top of the run and the conduit, the sides and floor. I worked a piece of dog chain over the conduit and pulled about 4 inches down, then used a bolt and tap through the links to hold it. I put an S hook at the end of the chain. I hook the S hook on the handles of the feeders and I can adjust the height simply by moving the S hook. Keeps everything much cleaner. I am using the heated dog waterer and the swinging feeder inside the coop this winter but like the swinging ones for warm weather. Easy to take off and bleach clean once a week.

 

[Jack Sparrow]

As far as feeding goes, I always fed my chickens outside and used a treadle feeder. It is rodent proof and it has been outside in the rain and snow and the feed never got wet. It didn't take the chickens long to learn how to use it.

https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/feed-o-matic-poultry-chicken-feeder?cat_id=143