Do you ALWAYS lock your coop at dusk?

[Mahonri]

I let two of my pen doors open this evening and went to teach a class in Spanish.... I was getting ready for bed and remembered I hadn't locked them up.

Two birds were ON TOP of their pen... so I gently picked them up and put them inside... all of the others were on their normal roosting spots.

I love my birds.

 

[Lbrad7]

Quote:
X2...I never leave their coop open at night. They are allowed in the run first thing in the morning and given access to a large open lot from about 2pm til dark, then its back to the lock up til morning.

 

[chickfamilyonsleepyhollow]

We lock up the coop every night - even though we have a six foot stockade fence around the yard and they have an enclosed run. I have yet to see a raccoon or fox but know they're lurking out there just waiting for a delicious meal!!!!

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

Welp, I said back in March, when I reponded to this thread that I hadn't had any predator problems. As an update now, we suffered from one coon attack, due to birds being in the only section of the coop that wasn't predator-proof. Everyone was locked up and yet, the beasts still managed to evade us.

 

[sunflowerenvy]

yes we due lockup at night at dusk and the girl get out between 7 to 9am we have food n water in the coop at night.
laura

 

[chicnchic]

We have an enclosed area for a run (with a net over it, but it still has a few gaps until I fix it) and a hen house with a trap door that they enter and leave at will during the day...into their yard...the doors I enter and clean, fill feed/water etc is always latched and locked. The flock goes in when it gets dark, and I go out once they're all in and close and lock the trap door. All of the windows are secured with 1/4 inch wire mesh to keep weasels out.

We live at the edge of 300 "empty" acres (not ours)...empty of people that is ;^) There are plenty pf critters though, including owls, raccoons, coyotes, fox, skunks, mink, fishers and weasels...if I ever forgot to close them in, and woke up in the night, I'd immediately go out and lock it. We're actually planning to have it automatically close one of these days, but have to figure out the timing first

.

 

[SunnyDawn]

Always! Though sometimes we have done it later rather than earlier due to not getting home by dusk. We try to never get home late but sometimes stuff happens and they get locked up later.

 

[Layira]

My chicken coop has an enclosed run attached with a covered top, so instead of completely locking the chickens inside, I leave the little pop door open 24/7. That way the chickens can get out of the coop in the morning for water (or in case they get bored, they can go into the run before I let them free-range) if I decide to sleep in. lol The coop was a shed I converted, so it has a foundation and my run is also very predator proof. I don't feel I have to lock the coop completely to keep them safe, but then again I haven't had any issues as of yet.

 

[BarkerChickens]

We lock up the run each night and the coop is sometimes. They are always locked in the run though...ALWAYS.

 

[montanachickie]

We lock our coop every night even though we have a fenced area for the girls. We have a lot of predators in our area. If we are out of town over night, we hire a gal to come to our place to take care of them (and the four cats too).