If predator proof, what is the purpose of putting them inside at night?

[Chickie7]

Hi everyone,

Still a chicken newbie here. My husband and I have been pondering this and so I figure this is the best place to ask. If your run is predator proof, with the 1/4 inch hardware cloth, at least 3 locks on the doors, and you have the apron around your coop and hardware cloth under the run and everything is pretty much predator proof in your coop and run, what is the purpose of locking the chickens up at night? Can you just have a door like one of those dog/cat doors where the chickens can go in and out from coop to run as they please? I'm just curious if the rationale of locking them up at night is to keep predators from trying to destroy your coop and run to get to the chickens, or if there is another reason? Is it to keep chickens from colder air at night? Peace of mind?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I don't close my pop hole, only the run door. Many people have a more secure coop than run so they lock them in. If your run is just as secure you can leave the door open, I would.

 

[HenHouse4Life]

For me it's because they go into the coop at night anyway. We live on 20 acres with woods and lots of night time predators so I like knowing my flock is 'out of sight out of mind ' for those predators. Peace of mind

 

[IsThatARaincoat]

I agree with @oldhenlikesdogs

Though I imagine you'll find that they go into the coop at night anyway. They cant really see so they will settle in until daylight. It'll just save you a nightly trip out to the coop.

 

[llombardo]

Because nothing is ever 100%. Peace of mind. I know I have a whole family of raccoons. The babies showed up yesterday and my dog alerted me. I have several dogs and the one that alerted is the one I least expected it from. The babies(raccoons) were playing in the tree and woke me up throughout the night. I'm in the process of doing the enclosure. These guys(chicks and ducks) need to get outside but safety first. I do not trust the raccoons. I've changed the pkacement of the run, rethinking the gates. I'm taking my time on this one. The dogs are definitely going to have more access to the yard at night. Peace of mind

My little visitor. At 12:30 I'm outside with a flashlight talking the raccoons. 2 hours later I was talking to two..

 

[mixedbreeds]

Yup I do the same thing I let them out the run door in the morning and close the run door at night so they can free range all day. They go in and out of coop and run as they please as I leave coop door open all the time.

 

[imnukensc]

My pop door on the coop stays open 24/7. I open the run door daily when I let them out to free range and close it at night after they've gone in the coop to roost. "Out of sight out of mind" doesn't work with night time predators. They're curious and have a good sense of smell.

 

[centrarchid]

Cooped birds easier to get to roost in a straight line. Straight line makes rapid assessment of roosting birds easier at night.

 

[RonP]

If your run is predator proof, with the 1/4 inch hardware cloth, at least 3 locks on the doors, and you have the apron around your coop and hardware cloth under the run and everything is pretty much predator proof in your coop and run, what is the purpose of locking the chickens up at night?

Simple answer is closing the pop door during the nighttime is for extra security only.

If your run is as secure as your coop, no need to lock them in the coop.

My run is probably more secure, as if I had a claw hammer, I would attack my solid wood coop rather than the fence and hardware cloth secured run. The door to the run is open 24/7.

Hope this helps.

 

[LaurEliz]

I free range now, but I used to have silkies in a predator proof run. I had a door with a lock to their coop too. They'd go in themselves at night. At first, I locked their coop also, for extra security, but then quickly grew lazy about that, not wanting to get up in the morning and go out and let them out again and such.

All was well for the longest time, until a weasel managed to find the one very, very small area that was not as predator-proof as I thought. Every single chicken in the run was killed within a few hours. If I had locked them in the coop, they probably would have been just fine.

It's just a "just-in-case" thing, I think. One more barrier for predators to get into. I have heard stories of that barrier failing too, due to humor error (forgetting to lock up) and coops growing old and rotting away unnoticed. It happens. Most days, I'd say you'd be just fine only locking up the run. Of course, the extra closed door would keep it warmer in colder months too, but I don't think it is necessarily needed.