Does anyone keep their chickens outdoors in a predator proofed run at night with an open air coop that's not locked?

[RainbowRabbits]

@ janiedoe thank you so much!

 

[RainbowRabbits]

The problem comes from the common idea that chickens need boxes to sleep in.

Chickens only require 3 things from their housing:
Protection from predators
Cover so they don't get wet/damp
Roosts so they feel high

Every other instruction about housing is to unravel, bit by bit, the idea that chickens need boxes:
Minimum dimensions = "Make box bigger"
Ventilation = "Open the box"
Run = "Let chickens out of the box"

And then there are the people things:
Nest boxes = "Don't want to pick eggs up off the floor"
Windows = "I can't see anything when I walk in"
and so on...

That makes sense, thanks!

 

[3KillerBs]

Oh thank you!! I thought a fresh air coop and an open air coop were the same thing.

A Woods Fresh Air Coop is a very specific design that provides many of the benefits of an Open Air coop in a way that also provides better shelter from a harsher climate.

They're both terrific systems when used in the appropriate climate. If I lived in a cooler area I'd have wanted a Woods Coop for sure.

 

[theoldchick]

I converted a metal carport to a chicken home. It's basically a metal top enclosed in wire. The door does not have a lock but does have a latch. I use wire/rock apron and electric wire to keep predators away. I live in southern US with relatively mild winters though we can get down to 20F with lots of wind so I do add tarps to reduce the wind.

 

[3KillerBs]

I converted a metal carport to a chicken home. It's basically a metal top enclosed in wire. The door does not have a lock but does have a latch. I use wire/rock apron and electric wire to keep predators away. I live in southern US with relatively mild winters though we can get down to 20F with lots of wind so I do add tarps to reduce the wind.View attachment 3294184

I wanted to use a carport for my chickens but my silly sister-in-law, with whom we share the property, insists on parking her car in it.

 

[theoldchick]

I wanted to use a carport for my chickens but my silly sister-in-law, with whom we share the property, insists on parking her car in it.

These kind of carports used to be cheap. It was installed for 599.00 way back when and has held up well. Tell your sister carports can be moved.

 

[3KillerBs]

These kind of carports used to be cheap. It was installed for 599.00 way back when and has held up well. Tell your sister carports can be moved.

"Used to be" is the operative phrase.

 

[lifein1840]

Is this something that's even possible? If so, what kind of success or failures have you had with this time of setup?

Nope, lost most of my flock by leaving the pophole door open one really hot night. something dug under the run and went right up in the coop. It was a moveable coop about 2 or 3 feet off the ground. I'm really careful to double check the doors every night even though this happened about 15 years or more ago.

 

[escoffee]

Is this something that's even possible? If so, what kind of success or failures have you had with this time of setup?

I have an omlet coop and it is very possible. They're expensive but can be fixed with zipties when things give up. And they're predator proof. It's warm most of the year down here, so I never shut the coop door unless it's getting really cold.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I don't even keep mine in a predator proof run... Merely an electric fence including a couple acres. I've lost two birds this year, both in the last 10 days, both to aerial predation. I keep a flock between 50 and 90, and lose 2-3 birds a year that way. MUCH cheaper than trying to "predator proof" five acres.

Open Air coops are "a thing" for certain environments for very good reasons, and I continue to recommend them in those conditions. Whether the run is predator proof or not has nothing to do with the coop design for local climate and everything to do with risk tolerance.