do i need to close the coop door if the run is secure?

[backdoorchicken]

it's 92° still and it's almost 9pm. i looked inside and they had their mouths open like they are panting. a cold front is suppose to come through but not until after 2am. they should be alright right? we have lived here for 3 years now and have never seen a coon or possum. we are in a city area and there are coons and possum around, just never seen them around here.

 

[chickenman101]

do u have any other kind of ventalation besides the door?

 

[grandmachicken]

Hey,

I'm in middle GA and I've never actually closed the coop door. As long as the run is secure you're okay. Actually, my coop is not completed and has no top, so they all roost on the edges of the top of the coop, open to the air. It's now almost 9 and just getting dark, and still probably 90 degrees outside.

Christi

 

[mom2chicksandpups]

We never close ours. We even took the door to the run off of our 1st coop and built the others to be open. Of course, I am not promising anything. Ours fight over the spot on the roost closest to the open door. They like it.

 

[chickensioux]

If you can be 100% sure that absolutely positively nothing can get in, you could risk it. But be prepared for the worst case scenario. I suggest always locking them up tight each night so it's better safe than sorry. I can only speak for myself and I would never risk it, it's just not worth it.

 

[ibpboo]

I think they should be just fine!

 

[backdoorchicken]

Quote:
not enough i guess

 

[backdoorchicken]

ok cool i will leave it open. we were going to have to leave it open saturday night anyway when we go out of town to see phish. this will be a good test.

 

[chickenman101]

i leave my door open and just hope there safe. my run is pretty secure and i have dogs that keep other animals away knock on wood

 

[Gonzo_MN]

I had to leave mine open for two weeks while we were in Alaska this summer. I have a very secure run, and it was uneventful. The kid down the road who tended my chickens said they were always out and happily scratching around the run whenever he came over in the morning. I haven't closed it since and that was in June.