Where should I put the Oyester shell?

[Annalyse]

I keep my oyester shell hanging on the wall of my chickens run. Were making the run alot bigger so I'm going to move it but it's in a hanging dog food bowl that u mount to the wall. At night I bring it into the coop but it gets poop/mud and straw in it by morning and then i clean it out everytime but if I leave it outside it might rain and I replace it. Ere shpuld I out it or what should I do?

 

[donddon]

I leave mine outside. I use a wide, shallow, plastic flower pot with a softball size stone in the center. The heaviest bird cannot tip it over, and the drain holes keep it from filling up with rain water. Ever 3 or 4 days, I scoop out the wood chips and other debris, and top it off. I don't see any need to put it inside at night.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Mine's in the coop too, hanging off the wall, never get anything in it other than an occasional fleck of bedding. Maybe move where you hang it in the coop so they can't accidentally poop into it?

 

[aembry1]

I have mine hanging from the middle of the coop

 

[CluckerFamily]

I use a PVC end for my dish. I have a roof on my run so no water gets in the oyster shells. You could drill small holes in the bottom of your current dish to allow the rain to drip out.

 

[Sally PB]

I've made a couple of feeder-type containers from 3 inch PVC "Y" fittings. The grit is outside, with a bungee cord securing it to the fence. The oyster shell container is secured the same way inside so it can't get rained on. It's under the roost ramp so it doesn't get pooped in.

When I took the "Y" and the cap piece to the checkout at our local hardware, he said, "Oh, making a feeder?" I guess I don't look like I need a couple pieces of PVC pipe...

 

[GC-Raptor]

I have mine under the raised coops. I hang them with an eye screw in a corner.

I also hung them inside the coop.

I drilled 3/32 inch holes in the bottom to drain moisture.

GC

 

[Annalyse]

Thank you for the responses. Mine is hung outside in the run. I can take the dish out of the mount and then put it back in. My inside coop is small and the roost is in the middle because that's where its the biggest length for all of them. They also love to stand on it when it's outside for some reason lol. My chickens also love to dig so whenever they have their food dish and the oyster dish on the floor of the coop they dig by it and the bedding also gets in from them jumping down the roosts.