? for those with all in one covered coop/run

We are planning our new coop and while we have always had attached runs, they were never really covered or secure, so we always lock our chickens up at night in their coop. Our new coop is going to be one of those all in one designs, like the Heather Bullard coop, with a solid roof and the whole run will be secured against predators. It will also be very close to our house and I am going to put a motion sensor light on the outside as an alert to us that something is outside the coop.

This being the case, will it be safe to let the coop doors open at night throughout the summer? We have never lost a chicken to any predators so far in almost 15 years of chicken keeping and I don't want to start now. We are making the coop so that the front and back walls will be solid. One will have their roosts and the other the nest boxes. The two side walls will be doors that open up for cleaning, light and extra ventilation. In the summer, it would be very nice to open them both up and let them sleep with the doors all open or even partially open.

Come winter, it would be nice to open up one side and let the afternoon sun shine in on nice days. There will be ventilation around the whole top of the coop, so that isn't the isuues. When the weather is nice, it just seems like leaving the doors open would be nice for them. Any breezes from the doors will not be blowing directly on them, but passing just behind them and through the coop.

Any thoughts? Am I asking for trouble? Should I just put windows in these doors and keep them closed in at night? I am in the planning stages so I need to get this right as it is my last coop and my last chance to have things the way I want them. Thanks!

As long as the run is fully secure, they do not need to be locked up.
The might need to be trained to where the coop is so they know where to roost and nest.
I have an all in one. I have a 400 sq ft run, full enclosed and secure. Their coop is a three sided shed style.

Here is a thread I started last year as we were building our coop/run.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...oop-updated-photos-4-13-14/0_60#post_13333526

Things I'd change: I would do without the "sand board" & have 2x3 boards as roosts & let the poop fall to the floor on the bedding. It would be easier to clean. I would make the roosts staggered, like stairs, on the side and not on the back. Other then that I love this setup a year later

The tin goes 12" into the ground, we secure our door with a bull snap, and the coop door is open day & night. NO predators have ever gotten in.

Good luck

For ease of cleaning I put my main roost across the back, then made a ladder roost on a hinge so I could lift it up to clean under neath. I use the deep litter method. My coop is only used for night roosting and nesting
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