Locking chickens in coop vs leaving access to run?

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

If you have a secure coop attached to a secure covered run (is that an oxy moron??), is it still necessary or advisable to lock chickens in the coop from dusk to dawn? Is there any benefit to leaving the door open to the run and letting chickens decide for themselves? Or is that just asking for trouble (ie predators) no matter how much you think your run is fort knox?

I have a secure run and coop, however because it is winter I lock the pop door at dusk. There have been a lot of predators that I have seen lately and I'm thinking the scarcer food is just might give a hungry predator more motivation to get real creative. I believe my run & coop is sturdy enough to keep everything but bears out. But why take a chance.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If you have a secure coop attached to a secure covered run (is that an oxy moron??), is it still necessary or advisable to lock chickens in the coop from dusk to dawn? Is there any benefit to leaving the door open to the run and letting chickens decide for themselves? Or is that just asking for trouble (ie predators) no matter how much you think your run is fort knox?

You are the one taking the risk. How confident are you that nothing can dig or climb in or rip the run apart, compared to the coop? How big is your wire mesh, can something get through those holes that would not be able to get into the coop? Do your chickens sleep close enough to the fence that a raccoon can reach in and grab a piece? How well does the coop section protect them in severe weather when that pop door is open. Those are the types of things you need to assess.

In warmer climates than yours some people build open air coops. One or some of the walls are wire. Often the whole thing is essentially a coop/run combination when they make it big enough. The difference between what they have and what you have is that you have a pop door you can close if you wish.

Some people can get hung up on what is called a coop and what is called a run. I look at it as the space system for the chickens, whatever you call the parts. To me the potential disadvantage to leaving the pop door open is that your run section may not be as secure as you think. The advantage to leaving the pop door open is that the entire space system is available to them whenever they are awake, whether you are there when they wake up to open the door or not.

 

[KnightsMist]

Thanks for all of the feedback. To clarify, I do not yet have chickens (or a coop or a run)- I'm still just trying to learn beforehand

I was just curious if there was any benefit to it. I come from the horse world (have a horse and mini donkey at home) and am a big proponent of 24/7 in/out access to stalls and turnout and only lock them up a handful of times per year in very bad weather- I was just wondering if the same line of thought could or should be extended for chickens. Sounds like most people lock them up at night, so I will probably do the same.

 

[J_Yonts]

We call our run Alcatraz, for good reason. However I also believe in temptation. Where there is a will, and hunger is a powerful will, there is a way.

 

[Tacswa3]

If you have a secure coop attached to a secure covered run (is that an oxy moron??), is it still necessary or advisable to lock chickens in the coop from dusk to dawn? Is there any benefit to leaving the door open to the run and letting chickens decide for themselves? Or is that just asking for trouble (ie predators) no matter how much you think your run is fort knox?

With my first group of chickens I had a pretty secure run INSIDE of a 6' foot fenced yard. Their coop was inside the run. As time went on I would get lazy so to speak if I wanted to sleep in, I would leave their coop access door open, that way when they get off roost they can help themselves to outside in the run. I got by for a while but something, I think a cat, got in the yard, then the run and ultimately the coop. I lost one chicken, one lost tail feathers and then a lot of stress.

 

[TashaFrancois]

I once tried this and lost a beloved Roo. It seems the temptation was too much for something. It didn’t get in. Just took his poor little head.

 

[Ribh]

I mix it a little. For one thing our summer has been really hot so leaving the door open means the coop doesn't get quite so hot & stuffy. If I am away it is open as it's 1 less thing for DH to have to remember. Normally I do shut it as a precaution against a determined predator. I figure if I'm not predictable the occasional open door is not going to bring trouble.

 

[RumneyRoost]

I have a very secure coop and run that sits inside a 30’ x 50’ yard with a 5’ fence.
Most nights I close the pop door once they’ve gone to bed and I bring their food in the garage.

I leave it open when we go away for a weekend, and sometimes in the summer if I want to go to bed early or sleep in.

We get pictures of coyotes and raccoons on the trail cameras back in the bush, but they’ve never bothered the chickens. The only animal that concerns me is a bear. It’s been years since we’ve seen one on our property though.

 

[blackdog043]

Mine is open 24/7. My run is covered with Tuftex panels, I used 1/2 inch hardware cloth to enclose the run and I have industrial 2" x 4" x 4' shelving racks around the bottom of the run. I also have an 18 inch apron around the whole coop and run.

 

[IamRainey]

I built my run to be as secure as my coop so I never close the pop door. They come and go as they please.
That said, they always sleep in the coop and lay in their nest boxes.

This was my story too. Worked out great with no door between the coop and run! ...until I found myself the owner of a rooster.

Now I've had to come up with a makeshift door to keep the birds in the coop until 8am during the week and 9am on the weekends for the sake of my neighbors.

I'd say, if you're in the planning stage, plan in an easily opened and closed door. You can leave it the heck open. ...until you have a rooster and neighbors who want to decide for themselves when to get up in the morning.

But, as someone said earlier, make sure your run is predator-proof! Mine has hardware cloth dug into the ground 12" and 12" concrete pavers 360˚ around the perimeter, carabiner clips on all the openings, steel wool jammed into any space light can get through and a secure roof over all. Make it predator-proof. Really, make it predator-proof or just don't have chickens. You'll save yourself so much heartbreak and time trying to eliminate rats, etc. ...and save on feed bills when you aren't feeding the local wildlife as well as your chickens.