Do your put your chickens in at night?

[sgtmom52]

Quote:
There may be more critters out there that you don't know about. I worked 3rd shift as a Police Officer for many year in a small City of 5.5 square miles with 50,000 people yet even in the downtown area I saw many opossums, occasional raccoons, some snakes and foxes were very frequent visitors to the small lake in the park where they feasted on the ducklings. Many people who lived in the city never saw these animals as they were only out in the wee hours of the morning. Some that did see the opossums would call in reports of "giant rats" in their trash can.

 

[roaminggnome61]

Both of my coops, portable and stationary, are completely covered in hardware cloth so I do not worry about predators getting in therefore I do not worry about shutting the girls in. (nice run-on sentence) Also, I have a dog that stands guard all night. My girls get up and out earlier than I do. Good luck with the coop building.

 

[lilblessings5]

My chickens are free range right now- They go in their coop every night around 6:45..like clock work. all I have to do is walk out and shut the door.

when we move the coop and build their run- it will be totally inclosed, but I've seen dogs rip through wood and chicken wire to get to my chickens - and we live out in the country and I often hear Coyotes at night I've learned from experience that if they want in bad enought they will get in- so I will still go out and close their door everynight so they are safe and sound.

 

[lilblessings5]

Quote:
Yes! I can't wait till our Border Collie gets big enough to guard the farm against Predators - they can make such a difference...Unless its a dog like our last dog ( he was a britney- amazing hunting(bird) dog. He would have joined in on the feast if any predators had come in to snack on my chickens during the middle of the night. Britneys are great dogs for hunting but not much at guarding.

 

[lindseythefork]

Our coop is attached to an enclosed run. I open the door to the run when I get up in the morning, and they let me know if I take too long. We have three hens that free range in our backyard all day, whether we're there or not. We reinforced the bottom of the fence with chicken wire and there is a giant apple tree for cover. At dusk, they go back into their coop and we go out and shut the door to the run. And then start the process all over again day in and day out.

 

[cleoandtheo]

We live in the city -- I had no idea that there were coyotes here! Where the heck they live I cannot imagine, because there's no nature anywhere. So it sure shocked the b'jeebies out of me when a coyote grabbed one of my cats at almost 7 am. I will ALWAYS lock down my chickens at night. You may not know what's out there. And I don't want another horrible surprise.

 

[grammygail]

Maybe this should be a new thread-but my chicks are 10 weeks old now and have been in
their coop/run for 3 weeks. I put them in their coop at night but it is quite an ordeal, and
I'm quite weary of it. So the routine is that I throw bread in their little door, and most of
them will go in, but invariably, one or two will refuse to go in-so there I am for 15 min. or longer
waiting and coaxing! Their little door is on a dusk to dawn timer, but I'm afraid to wait till dark and
assume they have all gone in, and risk some left out. It is not dark till 9:30 or later and I'm ready
for bed before then. Any ideas??

 

[jambunny]

Some of mine have been put up at night and some not. I am currently working on getting them all in at night as I lost a bunch a couple of months ago. I do have some that roost and they did not get eaten. You might try feeding them only when you are putting them away. That is working really well for me right now.