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

[jolenesdad]

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 looking back and realize I only asked my question and never gave my two cents! sorry...

I have a coop/run combo sort of all in one setup and then free range most of the time, so it’s not quite the same as yours. I do keep food and water inside because I don’t always make it out until 9 or 10 to let them out and if I want to be gone at sunset I can get them in early and lock up.

if they’re not locked in their coop and can come and go to the predator proof run, you obviously wouldn’t need it. If they are locked in, it will depend on your situation of timing if they need it or not.

as was pointed out, whatever you can do to add as MANY feed and water stations as you can handle, the better.... if you want to be integrating additional birds as you go....

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Sorry, this is the no-spill feeder I mentioned in my earlier post. It does have a lid and I keep a traffic cone on top to keep the chickens from roosting on it.

I only have 20 birds, I don't know how many you have. I made this no-waste feeder and keep it in the coop. Water is in a heated bucket in the run this time of yea . We open them up at daylight and close them up at dusk, when they put themselves to bed.

My advice, as you are designing your coop, is to leave plenty of room for feed and water in case circumstances or conditions require you to put them there. And if not, you will still have plenty of room to maneuver at night if you have to go out to count your chickens, check them for lice or mites or feel their crops, or treat them for any problems. Trust me, you'll be glad for it.

 

[Lizzy733]

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

Will it also be 'pest proof'? Sparrows can fit in very tiny holes and will eat you out of coop and run.
Also, depending on your weather, you could still have some water ingress during heavy storms, so ensure they are in an area where feed will not get ruined. I would recommend *locking away* feeders in the evenings so they are not enticing local wildlife to come have a buffet. Will you be burying your fencing to deter digging predators like rats? If not, you may eventually find tunnels under the fence.
I have one sheltered outdoor spot for a feeder and have a second that only stays indoors if it's likely to rain. If you ever plan on adding to your flock - plan for additional feed stations as well.

 

[MountainWoman73]

Do not forget to make your coop easily accessible for you the keeper as well as for what the birds need.

Amen. The birds are pretty flexible. Do what works for you.

My dad does water outside only, and food inside. He lives in a wetter climate than I do, and this cuts down on mold and rot from them spilling the water inside. I do both food and water inside, and hang them from the ceiling. This works better for me because my girls sometimes have "inside days". I leave them shut in when no one is going to be around to shut them in that night, when we get more than 2 feet of snow, when I know of an active predator in the area, or when one if them has started laying outside the coop (3-4 days shut in breaks the habit).

 

[Grandpa Goof]

Will it also be 'pest proof'? Sparrows can fit in very tiny holes and will eat you out of coop and run.
Also, depending on your weather, you could still have some water ingress during heavy storms, so ensure they are in an area where feed will not get ruined. I would recommend *locking away* feeders in the evenings so they are not enticing local wildlife to come have a buffet. Will you be burying your fencing to deter digging predators like rats? If not, you may eventually find tunnels under the fence.
I have one sheltered outdoor spot for a feeder and have a second that only stays indoors if it's likely to rain. If you ever plan on adding to your flock - plan for additional feed stations as well.

Yes Lizzy733. I will bury fencing in the ground for protection. Thanks

 

[Duckfarmer1]

To keep birds off of something you need a 45° sloping surface.
View attachment 2001344

JT

Ohhh, very cool..thanks!

 

[Duckfarmer1]

I keep feed and water in the coop because:
-My run is not weather proof, nor totally predator proof.
-We get some wicked weather, wild wind and feet of snow, there can be days on end that they don't spend much time outside.
-I use early morning supplemental lighting and they need to eat and drink way before they could go outside.
-Easier, and safer, for powering heated waterer.
-Feed is stored inside large shed that houses coop, so it's just easier for me the keeper.

Do not forget to make your coop easily accessible for you the keeper as well as for what the birds need.

Spill proof feeder keeps rodents at bay, as well as always set snap traps.
Horizontal Nipple waterer just about eliminates spills and evaporation issues.

On our coop renovation that we are just doing now, Chris put a second door on the back, kind of as a treat for me, for shoveling out the poop without having to move a wheelbarrow...I was so excited!!

 

[Kluk-Kluk]

Sparrows can fit in very tiny holes and will eat you out of coop and run.

Had that happen in our old run. Covered everything - top and sides - with bird netting to prevent that.

Great suggestions from folks. Here's what I do:

I do have dry food on a feeder attached to the wall and under nest boxes so the food doesn't get contaminated. There is always feed on hand for the chickens. I also have a metal waterer on a heater in the coop. In the winters here in upstate New York, I could not reliably have a water supply outside; some days it freezes in a very short time. Also, the lights come on in the coop about 5 AM, so chickens have food and water before I'm even awake. Also, as others pointed out, when there's a lot of snow, even with the coop door open, the chickens prefer to be indoors.

Outside I also have water, but in the winter, I put hot water in the waterer only when I visit the chickens in the morning. During the winter, I usually have to melt/pry off the ice from the surface. I don't add hot water during the day, so once that freezes, the chickens have to drink water indoors where it never freezes. I also put "messy" food out in the run, plus scatter scratch for them outdoors.

The coop has hardware cloth on the floor and is made of wood, like a shed. I don't have too much trouble with rodents indoors. Food pellets, scratch, etc., is kept in metal bins. Sometimes I set mousetraps in areas that the chickens can't get to. (My coop is separated into a chicken area and an area where I store chicken feed and supplies.)

Part of my logic in always having food and water indoors is that I've automated the lights and coop door. Both are on timers. Not only am I no longer bound by the chickens' waking and sleeping habits, but I can travel and leave the chickens under someone else's care with far less stress for the caretaker.

Best of luck on your chicken endeavor!

 

[ariri30]

If they are only sleeping in that area they don't need food and water, providing when they wake up they can get to the area with food and water.

Mine sleep in a roost box with no food or water. At dawn or earlier (like now the controller is adding 5 minutes extra light per day) the lights come on and the door opens and they can go into the run which has food and water.

View attachment 2001336

My new coop (converting 1/2 of a shed) will have food and water in the same area that they sleep in just due to the area being larger and no covered area outside yet.

In the end you just have to figure out what works best for you and your birds.

JT

May I ask you where did you get your feeder. Does it work for them not to spill their food all over?
TIA

 

[jthornton]

May I ask you where did you get your feeder. Does it work for them not to spill their food all over?
TIA

I designed and built it.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/feeder-build.1208719/
JT