Where to put waterer and feeder

[Apopka Cluckers]

What are everyone's thoughts on where to locate the water and food for the chickens. In the coop so they have access all day and night or in the run, which they only have access to during the day?

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

We keep our feeder inside the coop, and waterer outside. Either way is fine just mostly personal preference.

 

[FarmerDenise]

We have a problem with rats, so we avoid having the feed available at night. We have waterers everywhere. I wouldn't worry about feed location as far as the chickens are concerned. They don't eat at night, coz they are sleeping. The most important time to feed chickens, in my opinion is in the evening. That way they will have a full crop at night. Depending on whether the chickens have easy access to other food (they can roam a field) or not, determines how you feed them. Never allow an animal to go without water. If you have lots of sources of water available, you are covered in case something goes wrong somewhere. And even with our rat problem, we like to make sure that there is at least one source of food available to our chickens at all times, just in case....

 

[patandchickens]

I don't think there's a one size fits all type answer. Depends on the size of your coop, how soon after dawn you let 'em out, what your climate is like, etc etc etc.

For the tractor, I keep water and a little food inside, and the bulk of the food outside (but hanging, so mice can't get it, and the mesh is too small to admit wild birds). For the coop, I keep it all indoors b/c there's plenty of space.

But everyone's situation is different.


Pat

 

[Rufflemyfeathers]

I keep my main big water and feeder in the day run pen and at night when I put them in there coop cages I place a small water in there and just put a cup of food on there floor just for a little to eat during night..they waste two much food if I place a feeder in there coop..I would clean out there coop cages and the floor would just be loaded with food they scratched out of there feeder..when got it hanging in there pen they don't do it as bad..I was going through to much food for them the old way..

 

[toddy111]

Inside for me because of the rats and stuff !

 

[LynneP]

Yep, depends on where your electrical outlets are, and where droppings fall. You want to be able to get in and out of the coop without stepping in their food spillage, too. Avoid spots under roosts and platforms and at the edges and bottom of ramps. You also need to elevate the water container to the level of the birds' backs or it will get dirty. We chose to put a patio block flat on 3 cinder blocks. I love my heated dog bowl easy to dump into a catch bucket, wipe and refill.

Unless you have year-round shade outdoors, better to have waterers inside to avoid bacteria and algae. Assuming birds can go indoors...

 

[Apopka Cluckers]

Thanks for the great repsonses.

My coop is 10X10 and I don't let them out at all yet. I'm really too scared to do that. We have coyotes in the woods, dog packs running the road, and hawks in the woods across the street. I'm too scared something will make off with them or that they will just run off on their own and not come back.

Right now, I made my own hanging feeder and the food spillage is a little less than when I had a bowl in there. I am planning a pipe feeder with 2" holes cut in it for them to get the food out which should reduce the spillage and waste of the feed.

I have NO solution for water at the moment. I have been meaning to truck water and electricity out to the coop but it's a 200 foot run and time is short enough as it is. I will get it done but for now I am just running water back and forth to them 2 or 3 times a day.

I need to construct the run as well but that might be a couple weeks in the making also. The run is going to be 10'X40' which I hope is large enough for my group.

 

[silkiechicken]

In the tractors or coops with dirt floors that I can move the coop, they have food and water inside. However, the one little coop that has a wood floor, water stays outside and they get it when they go out. It's also small though, so after nest spot, roost and food, water would eat up another corner of floor space. It's only 4x4 feet for a handful of banties.

Lots is personal preference on what to do though. Although putting feed inside, can prevent freeloaders from packing it all away.

 

[LynneP]

You'll be happier with a roofed run too. We have the same predators as you and the details of our construction are in the link below. I hope you are able to solve that problem, because the easier it is for you, the better you sleep and you'll have your birds for happy years to come...