Questions about coop door inside run & automatic doors

[Bta2m2]

We are finishing our coop and run today. The opening to the coop is inside the run. I know we need a door even though it is inside the run that has hardware cloth around the sides as well as ground protection around the outside perimeter of the run, but my question is what do we do while away for the holiday weekend? I'm nervous to get an automatic door and have it not work while we are out of town. Suggestions on how to keep them safe in their new environment and give us peace of mind while gone?

 

[DobieLover]

Can you please post a picture of your setup?

Welcome to BYC.

 

[Bta2m2]

Can you please post a picture of your setup?

Welcome to BYC.We are not finished yet.

Thank you for the welcome. I’m finding this forum so helpful! I don’t have a picture of the finished coop yet. But here’s what I do have.

 

[avjudge]

If your run is safe against all the predators you have locally, you don’t “need” to close the coop door overnight. Hardware cloth and no-dig protection (i.e. a buried or spread-out HC skirt) should keep your chickens safe against most predators. If you have bears, you will also need an electric fence around the whole thing.

(My set-up for when I am away for an evening or overnight is a coop alongside a secure run, with a chicken tunnel between the two, and electric netting around the whole. The three structures make one unit with no closeable doors between them.)

 

[Bta2m2]

If your run is safe against all the predators you have locally, you don’t “need” to close the coop door overnight. Hardware cloth and no-dig protection (i.e. a buried or spread-out HC skirt) should keep your chickens safe against most predators. If you have bears, you will also need an electric fence around the whole thing.

(My set-up for when I am away for an evening or overnight is a coop alongside a secure run, with a chicken tunnel between the two, and electric netting around the whole. The three structures make one unit with no closeable doors between them.)

Thank you for the reply. I'm so nervous to let "my babies" go outside. Didn't realize how attached I'd get to chickens. We have the small run just to get them by until I'm off work for the summer and can build another run that we will attach to the existing one. They will be free range while I can supervise them, otherwise inside the covered run. We have hawks, coyotes, fox, the occasional stray dog and our beagles (if their invisible fence fails). No bears knock on wood. Love the idea of the electric netting! Saw that at TSC.

 

[avjudge]

Thank you for the reply. I'm so nervous to let "my babies" go outside. Didn't realize how attached I'd get to chickens. We have the small run just to get them by until I'm off work for the summer and can build another run that we will attach to the existing one. They will be free range while I can supervise them, otherwise inside the covered run. We have hawks, coyotes, fox, the occasional stray dog and our beagles (if their invisible fence fails). No bears knock on wood. Love the idea of the electric netting! Saw that at TSC.

I understand, I now let my chickens free range from morning until dusk, but it took several years before we dared. I think our dog scares away the bigger predators, plus an abundance of smaller prey (particularly chipmunks, and red and gray squirrels) probably takes some pressure off the chickens.

I have been lucky with the chickens, though I lost several pigeons last winter, one definitely to a hawk (found the remains) and one possibly since she just never came home. I feel bad when I lose them, but in the case of pigeons I keep them because I enjoy watching them circle my yard for – to all appearances – the sheer joy of flying. If I lost any more than a chicken or two I would have to rethink free-ranging them since my relationship with them is different.

If and when you build a larger run, you might consider keeping the smaller run as a “Fort Knox“ that you can give them 24 hour access to, then just build the larger run to a standard that will protect them during the day when predator pressure is usually less. Then if you sleep late or go away overnight the chickens will be able to go out safely and not stuck in the coop, but you won’t need as many materials as if you build the larger run to the same level of protection. (I’m assuming here that the existing run is larger than the minimum 10sf/hen.)

 

[RoyalChick]

I have a coop and secure run and I do not close the door between them except in unusual circumstances.
That way I don’t need to go out at dawn and dusk.
I also have a door from my run to an area protected by an electric fence and that door stays closed if I am not at home for the day.

 

[Pullet-Shut Chicken Doors]

Hello, I understand both sides of this. If you coop is super-secure, a door isn't necessary. Unless some clever predator finds a weak point & sneaks in. May I suggest our door, the Pullet-Shut Automatic Door? For peace of mind, and a door that is incredibly reliable, our door will meet the need. You can find it at chickendoors.com . Thank you!

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'd get the auto door, install it well in advance of "needing" it, and get used to how it functions so you have confidence that it'll continue working even when you're away.

It will never completely replace due diligence but is a helpful tool when needed, so you don't have to worry about staying out later than usual, waking up late, etc.

 

[TwoShepherds]

My autodoors have been very reliable. If you were worried about them not working when you were away, you could put a trail cam next to your coop that you could check from your phone. If the door failed to open or close one day, you could just call a neighbor or someone close by to fix it.