Pop door question...

[tanyizzle]

If the pop door is located within a secured and covered run, does it need to be locked at night? I feel like it may not need to be since if they're inside the run the chickens are probably toast anyways. Anyone with experience or advice on this? Thanks!

 

[Chicken.Lytle]

Belt, suspenders, duct tape, staple gun.

I close my pop door every night.

 

[elmo]

It depends on your level of risk tolerance. Generally speaking, it's harder to make a run as secure as a coop, so there usually will be a higher risk of a critter managing to get inside the run than the coop. If your pop door is open at night, any critter breaking into the run will be able to get inside the coop, too.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I wouldn't do if unless I had a covered or roofed run with heavy gauge 1/2" hardware cloth over all of it, used wood screws to attach it, used wood screws to put the frame together and installed a 12"-18" wire apron around the outside edge to prevent digging, attached to the base of the run. My run isn't that secure, so my chickens just get locked in at night. An automatic door is also an option, if locking them in every night is a problem for you.

 

[baldessariclan]

I think that our run is pretty secure, so we leave the coop's pop door open almost every night, except when winter storms (or really bad thunderstorms w/ sideways rain) hit. Sometimes also close it to keep chickens in or out of coop while cleaning and etc.

I think that it's nice to leave it open for the extra ventilation, and because you don't have to get up early to let the birds out. As cool and fun as our coop's pop door is (it's just one of those details I like), we just really don't end up using it that much with the coop/run design layout we have.