Where feeder should be - pros and cons

[The chicken nurd]

I keep my feeders in my run and just make sure the run is predictor proof so I don’t have to worry about anything getting into there food
I keep two different feeders one is an automatic that looks kinda like this

My second feeder is just a big deep bowl
I keep it because
a. I have a lot of birds
B. Because my ducks can’t eat very well out of the automatic feeder

 

[3KillerBs]

Inside a hot fence.

What I was going to say.

Good, strong electric is said to be the only thing that can possibly deter bear.

 

[Devorah]

What I was going to say.

Good, strong electric is said to be the only thing that can possibly deter bear.

Not that we have a ton of bear, but … interestingly, I think the raccoons, fishers and minks are giving me the most worry!

 

[3KillerBs]

Not that we have a ton of bear, but … interestingly, I think the raccoons, fishers and minks are giving me the most worry!

A nasty bunch to be sure.

 

[aart]

Wait … and rodents?!

The post I replied to was about bears, guess I should have included the whole post in the quote.

 

[RoyalChick]

I have one feeder in the coop and one out in a fully secure covered run.
I have a couple of night-snackers and on really cold winters days they tend to stay in the coop.
I have a bigger run area with a hot fence where I let them out most days but I don’t keep any food out there.

 

[MACCanadianCoop]

Not that we have a ton of bear, but … interestingly, I think the raccoons, fishers and minks are giving me the most worry!

Small predators like that won't be able to get through hardware cloth that is adequately secured.
If you have bears, I think the feed is going to be the least of your worries when there's free chicken available. If that's the case, definitely go with the electric fence.

 

[3KillerBs]

Small predators like that won't be able to get through hardware cloth that is adequately secured.
If you have bears, I think the feed is going to be the least of your worries when there's free chicken available. If that's the case, definitely go with the electric fence.

I've heard it both ways -- that bears will eat the chickens or that bears prefer to eat the feed and the eggs.

Either way, they do a LOT of damage in the process of eating whatever it is that they want to eat so electric is a good idea in bear country.

 

[Devorah]

Small predators like that won't be able to get through hardware cloth that is adequately secured.
If you have bears, I think the feed is going to be the least of your worries when there's free chicken available. If that's the case, definitely go with the electric fence.

Thanks so much. That seems to be the verdict.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

A lot depends on how your coop and/or pens are set up. My coop can be completely closed up with ample room for chickens to hang out, in case we get a few bad days of hurricane weather. I have predator proof pens due to constant foxes, raccoons, hawks, etc. My pens and coop remain rodent free & the only food in the pens is suspended cabbage head or corn cob, watermelon, etc. The regular pellet feed or scratch is all inside the coop. My friends are always throwing scratch on the ground & they have a rodent infestation so I think if I start throwing scratch on the ground I may draw rodents here as well. My setup works good for me. We get times of heavy rain, wind, hail, January snow & July heatwave drought, so the coop is designed in such a way that the flock can be comfortable, safe, dry & happy, if I have to keep them indoors a few days straight. I've tried setting up additional waterers outside, in their pens, but the water gets nastier faster. The waterers inside the coop remain clean, so that's where they're going to stay. I clean the waterers weekly with bleach, & I rotate ACV & oregano in their water. I think either indoor or outdoor feeders & waterers can work well, just be diligent with cleanliness.