Is your coop door closed every night?

[lovinlife]

All this talk of someone leaving the coop open and I had someone do the opposite. My coop gate doesn't stay open by itself, it swings shut. So, I have a bungee cord hanging on the fence to hold the gate open. My barn helper opened the coop, but didn't secure the gate open. So, it shut on its own after the chickens left. One stayed inside. I checked on the coop from the backyard that night (the coop is in my barnyard) and the gate was closed, so I assumed (you know what happens when we assume...) she had shut the chickens back up. It rained all night long. In the morning I went out to feed before dawn and it was still raining. I checked the coop and the gate wasn't latched, so I freaked a little and looked inside. Empty roost. I really freaked. One hen was roosting by herself. I found 8 of my 12 chickens soaking wet and put them back up. I had to go to work, so four were still left out. 3 showed up that night, but one never came back.

That was Wednesday night. This afternoon, my husband said he saw buzzards in the barnyard and went to investigate. Something had gotten one of my guineas, which is odd because they roost way up high and have been very defensive of their territory. He checked the area and found racoon tracks. He set up his hunting camera on the chicken coop so he could see what was out there. I set up the live trap and managed to capture 3 photos of my hiney on the camera in the process.

Maybe we'll have a nasty in the trap in the morning! I hope so.

 

[Dora'smom]

Our coop opens with a pop door into the run, which is totally enclosed. Hardware cloth dug down into the ground and corrugated panels as a roof. All the doors, including the pop door, are closed at night. The pop door is open during the day only. I know we have predators here, and I don't want to give them a free meal. If it is very hot where you are, the idea of screen such as hardware cloth in a secure frame instead of a solid door, might work well for you.

 

[huntsman]

OK, if I wasn't security conscious before this thread, I certainly am paranoid now!

Really sorry to read about all of the losses, folks!

What I have now done, is to incorporate my coop into the run, so while the coop is sheltered, there is no separate door.

The run, on the other hand is made from 3mm mesh, pop-riveted to square tubing, including the roof. Once I can afford it, I will close off two sides of the roosting area with board (the third side is against the house) and close off half of the fourth side, leaving a narrow door-sized space they can enter and leave. Other than human error resulting in an open door, I think we are close to being all set.

Thanks for all of the input!

 

[truckguy]

I live in CA - its gets pretty hot here in the summer (although im sure not as hot as where you live). Year round my chickens are locked in their coop at night, but  in the summer time I replace my solid front door with a secure screen type door so the coop doesnt bake in the summer heat and they are protected and locked up.

I live is so cal as well. I gave the run area closed all the time but I have yet to close the pop door at all. No predators in my area except a cat but my dogs chase the cat out of the yard.

Right now my dogs are OCD over the chickens since they are new here. two of my dogs are my hunting dogs.

One dog barks at them because they ignore him. Quite funny. I'm sure in time the dogs will leave them alone.

I have thought about closing the pop door at night. But I thought they may want out to drink or whatever.

But so far they are perched up when I go to work.