Coop door....open or shut at night?

[laseterlass]

Mine was open until I found rodent droppings, which explained why the girls are reluctant to go to bed. Now we close it.

 

[jjthink]

Will the chickens stay inside all night or do they wander around in the dark?

They'll generally stay inside but with door open that's the same as being outside. You mentioned raccoons. They are toast if not locked up tight at night with raccoons around. JJ​

 

[Marcymom3]

As a first time chicken owner, my biggest worry is that my chickens will get eaten by something. Hubs built a great run for them from welded wire fencing and a layer of chicken wire. It has a double layer of chicken wire for the roof and a heavy duty tarp over that. Around the perimeter the wire skirts out with stone and tile reclaimed from our bathroom renovation project. I feel they are pretty safe there, but I go out and close up the coop everynight.

My second biggest worry is that they will get sick and I won't know what to do for them. Not sure if there is a poultry vet in our area. Maybe it would be a good idea to check on that.

 

[buckabucka]

It really depends on your situation. Our run is secure, with hardware cloth buried in the ground, all over the sides and the top. For a while, though, we had to lock them up because rats had tunneled 16" down, and then back up into the run. Now that the rats are gone, we leave the door open, except on the coldest winter nights. If I were more disciplined, I would close it every night, just because you never know.
Our bachelor pen is much less secure, and so far, we've been lucky. That pen is only occupied for a couple of months though.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

If a run is made from only chain link a coon can and will grab birds close to it and pull them out bit by bit.

 

[atticus]

If you have a secure area around the coop, no need. however otherwise, i'd suggest keeping it shut.

 

[epeloquin]

I have a secure run and no predators to speak of. Nevertheless, I lock up the coop every night. It is a little prevention but keeps my girls safe and gives my family and I peace of mind that the girls are safe.

 

[franklinchickens]

We live in a suburb as well and lock our girls up every night. The coop sits on top of the run and they can go down the ladder to the run but it is also very secure with hardware cloth and concrete around the base. We have foxes in our neighborhood and raccoons, and I'm sure rats though I haven't seen them. They go out to free range first thing in the morning and at dusk, they all hop up into the coop (except for our spastic polish who insists on going in a tree where we have to retrieve her every night). I've never seen any signs of anything trying to get in but that doesn't mean there isn't. I would definitely not feel secure leaving a coop open at night. Heard too many horror stories. We've never lost a chicken (except once to illness).
During the warm months, we made a hardware cloth screen to secure in the coop door opening for ventilation: