Leaving coop door open at night?

[GeneticFreak]

I also have automatic doors on my hen houses. I shut them at night manually, so I can check on them (and get a sneaky pat/cuddle) and it opens automatically in the morning. Best money I ever spent!

I completely agree with your comment regarding the automatic door. Best money I ever spent. My run and coop are overly secure. I still inserted the automatic door from the coop to run for extra safety. Door pops open at 530AM and closes at 9PM in the summer. The battery life on the automatic door is amazing. I have had for a year now and only needed to proactively change the batteries once.

 

[Duckman39]

My coop/hen house is located within a secured, enclosed run. I close the door to the coop once all the chickens have retired for the night and obviously open it for them to access the enclosed run in the morning. Rinse and repeat.

I have generous neighbors who volunteer to take over this duty if I am away on vacation or gone for the weekend. However, I've had to ask this a lot lately so I am thinking about just leaving it open this upcoming weekend. Does anyone ever do this?

Let me reiterate that the coop is located in a secured enclosure. Complete with buried hardware cloth, etc. We haven't had any issues with predators thus far.

I know this can depend on a number of factors but just curious as to how many people have done this or do it on a regular basis.

I always keep my coop door open. My run is enclosed and secure. I like to leave my coop open so my ducks can lay and eat. If your run is secure I don’t see why you couldn’t leave the coop door open.

 

[blackdog043]

My pop door is open 24/7 and I have enough food and water to last my flock for more than a week. I have 2 game cameras, so I know whats lurking around my run. It's mostly a raccoon about 5 - 5:30 in the morning, I did have a fox once. My run is covered with tuftex panels and everything else is 1/2" hwc, including the apron all the way around the coop and run. I sleep well at night and don't worry when I go away. A neighbor gets the eggs, because she wants to.

 

[SkyBlue49]

My coop/hen house is located within a secured, enclosed run. I close the door to the coop once all the chickens have retired for the night and obviously open it for them to access the enclosed run in the morning. Rinse and repeat.

I have generous neighbors who volunteer to take over this duty if I am away on vacation or gone for the weekend. However, I've had to ask this a lot lately so I am thinking about just leaving it open this upcoming weekend. Does anyone ever do this?

Let me reiterate that the coop is located in a secured enclosure. Complete with buried hardware cloth, etc. We haven't had any issues with predators thus far.

I know this can depend on a number of factors but just curious as to how many people have done this or do it on a regular basis.

I have the same set up and leave the door open all the time. No problems so far. Winter may be different but spring, summer and fall I can see no problem. That way they can get up early and eat and drink. (without me, lol)

 

[Yummy mummy]

My coop/hen house is located within a secured, enclosed run. I close the door to the coop once all the chickens have retired for the night and obviously open it for them to access the enclosed run in the morning. Rinse and repeat.

I have generous neighbors who volunteer to take over this duty if I am away on vacation or gone for the weekend. However, I've had to ask this a lot lately so I am thinking about just leaving it open this upcoming weekend. Does anyone ever do this?

Let me reiterate that the coop is located in a secured enclosure. Complete with buried hardware cloth, etc. We haven't had any issues with predators thus far.

I know this can depend on a number of factors but just curious as to how many people have done this or do it on a regular basis.

 

[lutherpug]

I also have automatic doors on my hen houses. I shut them at night manually, so I can check on them (and get a sneaky pat/cuddle) and it opens automatically in the morning. Best money I ever spent!

Agreed. I scoffed a little at spending $200 on an automatic coop door but I'll never not have one now. Best money we spent on the coop.

 

[momentspicd]

Why not get a solar powered automatic door. Best investment I have made so far. I also have a Blink outdoor camera in the run so I can check to make sure if opens when I’m out of town, but in the 4 years I have had it it has never failed to open.

 

[GeneticFreak]

Why not get a solar powered automatic door. Best investment I have made so far. I also have a Blink outdoor camera in the run so I can check to make sure if opens when I’m out of town, but in the 4 years I have had it it has never failed to open.

Good point. My automatic door can be switched from battery to solar. I just prefer the batter option, because my coop is kind of nestled in the woods.

 

[Mdm Cluck Cluck]

Hi, I've kept chickens for about 8 years and the best investment I ever made was getting an automatic door opener and closer. I use a ChickenGuard on both my main coops. You can either get them where they are set to open and close on a timer, or where it gives you the option of a timer with a light sensor. So our Chicken Guards open with the sensor and close with the timer as that suits them and us best. It also means our neighbours, when they mind our girls, aren't restricted to having to get up or get back to open and close the door. We use Grandpa treadle feeders which take a big sack of feed and will keep our 16 hens fed for about 10 days. This together with multiple large waterers means Neighbours have minimal jobs, and if short break away they are mainly just collecting eggs and topping up waterers with the hose.

 

[Blondie in Tx]

I don't know where you live but my neighbor lost his entire flock to coyotes. They somehow managed to rip the screening, chicken wire, etc. to get those chickens. Since then, I lock them up every night.