Locking Coop

[tdonoho]

We live in a residential neighborhood. Lots of wild bitds(mostly quail) and very few predators. My coop is with a secure run which is covered on all sides (including floor and roof ) with wire.
I've been locking my girls in the coop each night and letting them out in the morning. They go into their coop on their own.
Is it really necessary to lock up the coop if the pen is locked?

 

[MeepBeep]

and very few predators.

Just because you don't readily see them don't assume they are not there... Most people even in very populated areas would be totally amazed at what was abound at night if they installed game cameras all around their house and took pictures for a month, especially after they put an animal like chickens in their backyard that will draw the predators in...

As for locking it, are you sure you want to depend on the run stopping whatever might attack? Logic dictates that having two barriers between the predator and chicken is always better than one...

 

[6of6chicks]

We live in a residential neighborhood. Lots of wild bitds(mostly quail) and very few predators. My coop is with a secure run which is covered on all sides (including floor and roof ) with wire.
I've been locking my girls in the coop each night and letting them out in the morning. They go into their coop on their own.
Is it really necessary to lock up the coop if the pen is locked?

You didn't specify what type or how much wire you used. If it's chicken wire, then yes, you need to lock them in the coop for safety. If you've got hardware cloth with welded wire over the top of that, then no, you don't need to lock them in the coop.

Just be aware that there are all kinds of predators crawling around residential neighborhoods. My mom lives in the stereotypical suburbia - lots of manicured lawns and landscaped flower beds. Just this year alone she has had a 3 ft. snake in the yard (went after a nest of baby cardinals), neighbor's cats, hawks, and a possum that had babies under her neighbor's deck. I have no doubt there are raccoons around as well. "Residential" just means more dishes of cat food left out to attract the wildlife!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

We live in a residential neighborhood. Lots of wild bitds(mostly quail) and very few predators. My coop is with a secure run which is covered on all sides (including floor and roof ) with wire.
I've been locking my girls in the coop each night and letting them out in the morning. They go into their coop on their own.
Is it really necessary to lock up the coop if the pen is locked?

The pen being "locked" is not the issue - the pen being secure (a bit more information on the specifics of your security would help to answer that - for example the type of wire that you have used), is.
This is one of those things that each chicken keeper must decide for themselves/their flock. Many people don't lock their birds up at all - in a coop OR run, but choose to free range, some secure the birds in a run but leave the coop open 24/7, others choose to do as you have been doing and confine the birds in the coop from dusk-dawn. Each of us has our own reasons for what we choose and do so with understanding of the accompanying risks for each option. Each layer of protection you put between your birds and predators (and, yes, as pointed out already, you have more predators in your area than you think you do) is just one more mark in the "less likely to have a loss" column.
On a personal note, I do confine them to the coop at night - for the simple fact that I have evaluated my predator situation and am fully aware of the ability of my run to stand up against those things that go bump in the night around our place as well as the very vulnerable nature of chickens during the night hours -- for me, the equation has added up to me choosing confinement as the best option for myself and my birds.

 

[aart]

Quote:
Ditto this^^ Thorough and well said!

 

[Mrs. K]

I have a fairly secure coop/run set up. I often do free range. I just lock the run up. That way they can get out when they wake up, not me. ;-)

If your run is not secure, you will find out the hard way..... but once you have it secure, it works well.

Mrs K

 

[tdonoho]

Thanks for all your advice. I've been locking up the chickens every night and my husband thinks I go a little overboard. I never imagines I would get so attached to chickens and would enjoy them so much!
Our run is currently covered with chicken wire. We are going to put a layer of hardware cloth over it after harvest is done and we have more free time (husband is a farmer).
After that is done I will feel more comfortable leaving the coop unlocked and simply securing the run.