Is there any reason you need to close the pop door at night?

[Quickster]

My coop is attached to the run which so far has proven pretty secure. Now that its summer and I'm not up early to get kids off to school I have just been leaving the pop door open so they can get up and out of the coop whenever they want which is way before i'm up and out of bed. Plus with the warmer weather I figure its just one more vent space. So is there any reason I should be shutting it at night?

 

[sh83]

I don't close mine...but I suppose if something dug under the fence far enough and was able to get in it could be bad. Our fence is buried pretty deep so I don't worry enough to close the door.

 

[Mrs. K]

Once I got things secure, ( a bit of trial and error) I don't close mine either. And last winter, I didn't close it either. I am finding that dry is better than warm, and it is harder to give enough ventilation.

Mrs K

 

[Folly's place]

My coop is very secure, but the run is not as good, and the birds free range most days. Everyone gets locked in the coop every night, as there have been disasters here at times otherwise. Yes, it can be a pain, but that's life. Mary

 

[lularat]

I feel that my run is pretty secure, but I still lock them in at night. Doesn't take but one time to wish you had.

 

[Blooie]

I don't lock mine in at night. My hoop style run is 99.99% secure with cattle panel fencing, chicken wire over that, and then hardware cloth over that, plus extended out into an apron well out from the run. (I don't believe that any run is ever 100% predator proof...if I thought that then I might be temped to let my guard down and that would be foolish) The coop is also surrounded by a hardware cloth apron extending up almost a foot and out 3 feet in the back where I have a thick hedge of lilac bushes (a great place for a predator to hide) and then 2 feet out on the other 3 sides. The HW cloth is secured to the coop with screws and heavy duty washers. Our English Setter tried digging under when we first put the chickens out - a broken and bloody toenail later she decided they weren't worth the effort.

 

[RonP]

If your run is as secure as your coop, why bother locking them up?

Mine is, and I don't.