Should I close my chicken door?

[AppleMomma65]

My coop and run are A-Frame. The coop has a full-sized door; there is small chicken door that goes into the run, and then the run has a full sized door as well (think front door, middle door, back door). I've been going into the run to close that small chicken door at night when the ladies are up on their roost, and then getting up in a.m. to open it but I'm not really sure I need to. Thoughts?

 

[darkbaysfordays]

Ultimately its up to you if you want that second level of protection. But if the coop is well predator-proofed, it probably isn't necessary.

 

[wamtazlady]

Whether you need to close the chicken door depends on your coop, your run, and what predators you might have. Is your coop built sturdily with hardware cloth or a good grade wire over any open windows and vents? Is your run predator proof? Could a predator dig in? Are you latches sturdy and complicated enough that a raccoon can't figure out how to open them? Is the wire attached to the wood in a manner that an animal can not pull it off? Most predators can be stopped from getting into the coop with sturdy building methods. For bear you would need electric fencing.

Your coop is the safest place for your chickens to spend the night. If you feel your run is safe enough to repel the predators in your area then you can leave the chicken door open. If your run is not predator proof you will find that out.

 

[3KillerBs]

For my in-town coop I intentionally made a run that was predator-hardened so that 'I would be able to allow them free access to their run at all times. I kept the food and water in the covered portion of the run and no issues -- we'd built strongly.

Once the little coop has been repaired, we're going to use electric net for a daytime only run but when our new house has been built and we are able to make the new, much larger coop, I intend to have a predator-hardened run again. This time the hardware cloth will be reinforced with electric wire because the predator load here in the country is heavier.

Being able to keep the food and water outside and to give the chickens free access to room to roam is just too convenient for me to give it up long-term.