Should i make my chickens go in their coop at night now that is getting colder?

[Jenjason2]

For clarification your coop is inside the run? What do they do when it rains? So Cal or North? I know that some people have birds that roost in trees at night regardless of temps.

This is the coop its inside a 10x10 covered kennel

 

[Ridgerunner]

I live in California so it doesn't get super cold only a few night here and there at are freezing.

Should i make my chickens go in their coop at night now that is getting colder?

Probably not because of the cold. It will probably make you feel better but I don't consider it that important for the chicken's health or safety concerning cold.

My concern would be predators if they can get there. That would be climbing predators such as raccoons or flying predators such as owls. You are the one that has to determine ow predator safe your run is.

 

[igorsMistress]

View attachment 2402711

This is the coop its inside a 10x10 covered kennel

I think it’s up to you. If you think it’s going to be too cold you can always move them inside after dark. You can also wrap three sides of the kennel with tarps to block wind and will help trap warmth, but I don’t think that coop has enough ventilation. Without seeing the inside I’m guessing there may not be enough room to add ventilation without drafts being on the birds.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

I have owls, people's cats, hawks, foxes & raccoons here constantly, so I can't free range once the migratory hawks show up here in August. I built predator proof pens, and they each have a shade gazebo with perch, so on the warm nights I let them roost in the coop or gazebo, spring & summer, their choice, but I still close all coop doors at dusk, as I don't need mice trying to get in there all night. I notice in October when it gets dark earlier, the foxes are more brazen, my chickens all go into the coop before dusk on their own, all I do is say goodnight & sweet dreams as I close the chicken doors. I think it is safer to spend the night in the coop, because rats, mice, raccoons & foxes will be disturbing their sleep, even if they can't get in, they have all damn night to try!
Ever hear a disturbed Rooster at 2am?! I have!!!
Got half dressed & ran out there with a flashlight chasing off 3 foxes & trying to get the flock to "shut the flock up" in the middle of the freaking night! LOL
I don't need bitching & complaining from neighbors, so mine are put in the coop from October on, regardless of weather, it's just too much of a pain in the wazoo with night predators & the commotion they stir up.

Ok just saw that you entire coop is in an enclosed run...you have more mild weather too. So I guess you want to be sure no mice can get into their feed or no predator will be disturbing their sleep.

Where I live there can be days or weeks of bad weather, so I had to build a larger coop knowing they'd rather be indoors those times.

 

[DouglasB]

if your coop is inside an absolutely predator proof run, no way anything can get in the run then let them sleep where they want. They will go inside if they are cold.

 

[pyaresquared]

50F and you "button it up"? That's a warm winter day here and the windows are open.
How much year round ventilation does your coop have?
It's not about keeping the coop warm. It's about keeping the coop dry and that takes lots of ventilation.

The coop has 5 screened vents, a double door (“French door”) for cleaning, and an entrance door for the hens. The entrance door leads to a varmint-proof cage equipped with misters, which in turn opens to their fenced pen (which is not varmint proof). One of the screened vents in the coop has a 12” solar-powered exhaust fan. There is also a 4-inch screened duct from the solar-powered swamp cooler that discharges above their perch. The fan or the cooler run all night in the summer. Our hens are conditioned to withstand 110-120 degree summer days. When it gets below 50° in the winter, they start huddling.

 

[Jenjason2]

Should i make my chickens go in their coop at night now that is getting colder?

Probably not because of the cold. It will probably make you feel better but I don't consider it that important for the chicken's health or safety concerning cold.

My concern would be predators if they can get there. That would be climbing predators such as raccoons or flying predators such as owls. You are the one that has to determine ow predator safe your run is.

The 10x10 kennel has a tight cover, I would send pic but I'm not home

 

[Jenjason2]

I think it’s up to you. If you think it’s going to be too cold you can always move them inside after dark. You can also wrap three sides of the kennel with tarps to block wind and will help trap warmth, but I don’t think that coop has enough ventilation. Without seeing the inside I’m guessing there may not be enough room to add ventilation without drafts being on the birds.

Thank you, I'm just a worried mom

 

[igorsMistress]

Thank you, I'm just a worried mom

Of course you are! My coop gets solid panels in winter and shade screens in summer so I totally understand! If you have the area they roost on covered from rain at the very least I would cover the top half of the walls with tarps depending on where the coop is in the kennel and where they roost. That would at least block cold wind and rain and keep them dry. How much you need to predator proof is your choice. I don’t have a lot of risk from many predators at night, but raccoons are a possibility and owls are a definite issue.

 

[Einhornjohnsonjt]

We have an enclosed coop in central AZ. The hens only go in at night. We button it up completely when it gets below about 50° F. It’s about 4x4x4’ and we have 4 hens. Even though the coop is by no means airtight, the temperature stays a few degrees warmer than outdoors just from the body heat of the hens. (There’s a WIFI thermometer inside.) Our biggest problem is summer heat, so they have an exhaust fan and, for really hot nights, a little solar swamp cooler.

You definitely don’t have to close them up in the coop at 50 degrees, they can comfortably withstand temperatures into the teens. Your coop is also pretty tight, make sure it’s properly ventilated. My first coop was 12 square feet for 3 hens and it wasn’t vented well enough and it caused issues—