Leaving coop door open one night?

[CBinTN]

Later this month we will all be gone for one night. Is it ok for that one night for us to leave the coop door open?
They are fully enclosed in the run, they won't be out in the open and nothing will get in by them.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[mixedbreeds]

Mine is always open but the run is secure nothing will get in there. I did screw up a couple months ago I have 4 coops and I forgot to close the run door at night on the one I was talking about. All 40 chickens were taken by cayotes over night I was sick still am but could not believe it. So make sure that run is bullet proof.

 

[justincasei812]

We leave early our coop door open all the time in the summer. We do have a fully enclosed run. We live in the woods and have predators but feel confident enough with the run enclosure to leave the coop door open to allow the chickens to go in and out on their own.

Justin

 

[Justso]

I leave my house open to the run, I have a secure yard - sides, bottom, top.
You cannot leave anything to chance, check all parts.

 

[Morrigan]

The answer lies in how absolutely sure you are that your run/yard is secure. Chickens are completely helpless when they roost at night, so if they are attacked then, it is bad.

A cautionary tale -- I have my chicken coop inside a yard that is surrounded by an electric fence, topped by avian netting. Other than a couple of freak accidents (wire grounded out in a rainstorm and a weasel slipped in), I had gone 3+ years with nothing getting inside that yard. I got complacent about the coop door. It is an automatic door, but I have to manually adjust what time it opens and closes. I got lazy about re-setting it, and as a result the door, was opening before dawn. Last December, a young bobcat found it's way inside the yard somehow -- I think it squeezed through a gap in the gate, which isn't not electrified -- and killed 9 hens in a less than 1/2 an hour. The inside of the coop looked like a slaughterhouse.

Needless to say, I now make sure that door does not open until it is light, and I (and my dogs) are up and about. Even though I have further fortified my yard since the attack, I cannot say my yard is 100% safe and therefore I would never leave the coop door open at night if I could help it. Learning something the hard way is a hard way to learn.

 

[CBinTN]

Mine is always open but the run is secure nothing will get in there. I did screw up a couple months ago I have 4 coops and I forgot to close the run door at night on the one I was talking about. All 40 chickens were taken by cayotes over night I was sick still am but could not believe it. So make sure that run is bullet proof.

Oh no! I am so sorry you lost those chickens. I know you're devastated.
Ours is very solid, my husband made sure of it!
Thank you!

 

[CBinTN]

The answer lies in how absolutely sure you are that your run/yard is secure. Chickens are completely helpless when they roost at night, so if they are attacked then, it is bad.

A cautionary tale -- I have my chicken coop inside a yard that is surrounded by an electric fence, topped by avian netting. Other than a couple of freak accidents (wire grounded out in a rainstorm and a weasel slipped in), I had gone 3+ years with nothing getting inside that yard. I got complacent about the coop door. It is an automatic door, but I have to manually adjust what time it opens and closes. I got lazy about re-setting it, and as a result the door, was opening before dawn. Last December, a young bobcat found it's way inside the yard somehow -- I think it squeezed through a gap in the gate, which isn't not electrified -- and killed 9 hens in a less than 1/2 an hour. The inside of the coop looked like a slaughterhouse.

Needless to say, I now make sure that door does not open until it is light, and I (and my dogs) are up and about. Even though I have further fortified my yard since the attack, I cannot say my yard is 100% safe and therefore I would never leave the coop door open at night if I could help it. Learning something the hard way is a hard way to learn.

I hate that you lost some too. That's terrible.

Our backyard is fenced and then the run is surrounded with hardware cloth which attaches to the coop.

I think they will be ok, but now hearing the horror stories I am worried and might see if someone can come that evening to close them in.

Here is a link to my husbands beginning to end process. https://www.flickr.com/gp/160978999@N02/1UMn4x

 

[Morrigan]

I hate that you lost some too. That's terrible.

Our backyard is fenced and then the run is surrounded with hardware cloth which attaches to the coop.

I think they will be ok, but now hearing the horror stories I am worried and might see if someone can come that evening to close them in.

Here is a link to my husbands beginning to end process. https://www.flickr.com/gp/160978999@N02/1UMn4x

Your husband did a great job. What a beautiful coop!

 

[RumneyRoost]

We have a predator proof run that is attached to the coop. Every opening is covered with hardware cloth, latches are racoon proof, etc.
We frequently go away for a night or two and leave the coop door open.

When we are home I close it and take the food out, even though I'm confident it's predator proof I don't need to tempt anything. We have raccoons and coyotes on the trail cams that are set up in the bush a few hundred feet from the coop. Knock on wood we've never lost one.

 

[CBinTN]

We have a predator proof run that is attached to the coop. Every opening is covered with hardware cloth, latches are racoon proof, etc.
We frequently go away for a night or two and leave the coop door open.

When we are home I close it and take the food out, even though I'm confident it's predator proof I don't need to tempt anything. We have raccoons and coyotes on the trail cams that are set up in the bush a few hundred feet from the coop. Knock on wood we've never lost one.

Thank you for your response! Makes me feel better! Hopefully they will be all good for the one night.