This may be a stupid question....

[Onebroodymomma]

Do you need to close the chickens in the coop at night, or do you leave the door open so they can get in and out of the run during the night?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

The answer is you do whatever works for you and your flock. Are you absolutely comfortable with the security of your run? If so, the door being closed is not as necessary as it would be if the run is not 1000% secure. One of the biggest benefits of securing the door is that you are adding a layer of protection between your birds and predators. The overnight hours are the period in which your flock is most vulnerable and when predators are most active. Chickens who have appropriate space and roosting available inside the coop do not "need" access to the run in the overnight hours.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Also, FTR, not a stupid question at all.

 

[Onebroodymomma]

Thank you! Our current coop, yea I don't trust it. The people who built it, also built our house. They did a crappy job on the house, so I am sure they did an even crappier job on the coop and the run!

I think we will end up closing them in, we do have a pack of coyotes running around lately. Makes me a bit scared to put the new babies outside

 

[Blooie]

If you feel safer closing them up in the coop, then by all means, do so. Don't worry about them wanting to "get in and out of the run during the night" because they don't do that anyway. Once it's dark, the only thing they do is sleep. They find their spot and that's where they stay, all night long. They don't eat or drink - they just roost, sleep and poop.

 

[Onebroodymomma]

thank you! that was my big worry was them needing to eat or drink at night. So i will be closing them up for the time being, at the very least until the pack of coyotes moves along

 

[Blooie]

You are very welcome. Once you have some time, you might want to give your setup a good look-over and look for - and correct - weak spots. Good folks just like you have lost chickens to wily predators even inside their coops. For some reason predators are much better at finding those hidden weaknesses than we are! Enjoy your flock!

 

[N F C]

No such thing as a stupid question! Ask whatever you need to here.

We close our coop every night even though the girls have a large, attached run. While the run is a safe place for them during the day and we are out/about outside most the day, their coop is more secure against predators. I do put a small waterer and small amount of food in the coop for them in case they get up before we do (which is tough for even our girls...we're very early risers, lol) and need a bite to eat.

 

[cafarmgirl]

thank you! that was my big worry was them needing to eat or drink at night. So i will be closing them up for the time being, at the very least until the pack of coyotes moves along

Your pack of coyotes will never truly move out. They will always be around and ready to take advantage, so will numerous other predators. Unless your run is very, very secure I'd highly suggest keeping the coop closed at night, all the time. During the night predators have plenty of time to try to get in and many of them can go right through, under or over what many people use for fencing on their runs. If your run is chicken wire they can go through that like it's butter. Do what Blooie suggested and go over your setup carefully and see what needs reinforcing.

 

[Onebroodymomma]

Your pack of coyotes will never truly move out. They will always be around and ready to take advantage, so will numerous other predators. Unless your run is very, very secure I'd highly suggest keeping the coop closed at night, all the time. During the night predators have plenty of time to try to get in and many of them can go right through, under or over what many people use for fencing on their runs. If your run is chicken wire they can go through that like it's butter. Do what Blooie suggested and go over your setup carefully and see what needs reinforcing.

I know they won't move on. I also know that my neighbors and I have been talking about coyote control. They are taking out the neighbors goats. Those jerks tried to get one of my dogs the other night.

Right now, the run is chain link. It looks like an old dog kennel that they converted into a chicken run