- Sep 8, 2010
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Hi all. I just finished building my 3' by 4' coop (with additional run) to house 3-4 Bantams. (Pics coming soon!) Now I need to think about food and water dispensers.
Because the coop is small, I need to minimize space requirements.
After considerable looking around, I've settled on the Avian Aqua Miser, a half-gallon bottle with attached nipple. This seems to be popular and effective. Good choice?
But I see a baffling number of choices for feeder, and I don't have a clue. Does anyone have a suggestion for a feeder that is small, clean (poop-free) and sufficient for just 3-4 Bantams?
I have a few more newbie questions, if I may. I searched many pages of this forum and could not find these answers.
1) If I buy day-old chicks (Is this a reasonable choice?), do I need a special feeder and waterer for them, or can I use regular adult versions and just adjust the height?
2) Should I have the feeder and waterer inside the coop and trust that they will come inside when they get hungry/thirsty? Or keep them outside in the run?
3) Even though my setup is probably predator-proof, I would never leave feed outside at night. But should I leave feed inside the coop at night for them to eat? Or can I totally remove it from their environment, to avoid tempting bears with the smell of feed?
4) One source said that it's okay to remove water from the coop at night because they don't drink. This prevents freezing on cold nights. Is this reasonable?
Thanks!
Tim
Because the coop is small, I need to minimize space requirements.
After considerable looking around, I've settled on the Avian Aqua Miser, a half-gallon bottle with attached nipple. This seems to be popular and effective. Good choice?
But I see a baffling number of choices for feeder, and I don't have a clue. Does anyone have a suggestion for a feeder that is small, clean (poop-free) and sufficient for just 3-4 Bantams?
I have a few more newbie questions, if I may. I searched many pages of this forum and could not find these answers.
1) If I buy day-old chicks (Is this a reasonable choice?), do I need a special feeder and waterer for them, or can I use regular adult versions and just adjust the height?
2) Should I have the feeder and waterer inside the coop and trust that they will come inside when they get hungry/thirsty? Or keep them outside in the run?
3) Even though my setup is probably predator-proof, I would never leave feed outside at night. But should I leave feed inside the coop at night for them to eat? Or can I totally remove it from their environment, to avoid tempting bears with the smell of feed?
4) One source said that it's okay to remove water from the coop at night because they don't drink. This prevents freezing on cold nights. Is this reasonable?
Thanks!
Tim