To leave open or not leave open, that is the question!

[Juno's Chicks]

Hello everyone!! Very first post!! WOO HOOO!!! My very first chicks are to be delivered in 1 week and I can not be any more excited!!

Doing lots and lots of research on the coop and run. My original plan is to completely enclose the run area with a little chicken door into the coop. Does anyone leave this open throughout the night and/or day?? I wasn't sure if this would be ok in the winter. They will be free range in the backyard fence when someone is home.

Thank you so much!! And thanks for all the great info I've found on here!!

 

[GoldDogsMom]

Welcome to BYC! With my first coop, I attached a run and left the chicken door open to the coop except during the coldest months of winter until...a weasel broke in and killed 2! Now my girls get closed up securely in their coop for the night.

 

[goldies99]

i would leave it open durning the day.....but lock it up at night!...and close on really cold winter days!

 

[Haunted Chicken]

My run is completely secure so I leave my chicken door open for ventilation. (Along with two higher vents, and a window if needed) The first few nights made me nervous and I kept going back outside to see if I could figure out a way for an animal to dig in. I'm pretty convinced it would take more than one night to move the rock, bricks and hardware cloth to dig under the walls. But I guess no mater what they are never 100% safe. We had a raccoon get threw hardware cloth vents under our house and then chew and claw threw the plywood used to cover the hole the next day. (We must have closed up her babies under the house)

 

[kuntrychick]

I've always left mine open. On my coop right now, their little chicken door is just a hole cut that size, no actual door to close on it. We also leave the run/pen open day & night (unless I need them closed up for something). My chicken coop/run is inside another fenced in area of about an acre or so....shared with a pretty big dog that barks at anything & everything. So, hopefully I'm ok being as any predator would have to get into the fenced area (which I think my dog would scare it away) & then go into the chicken pen & their attached coop to get to them. I'm not saying that can't happen, but I'm hoping it don't. The roosts are not directly above this door...they are over to the back & higher than the door - no draft directly on the chickens.

In the new coop we are building, we will probably put in a door instead of just the opening, just for in case it ever needs closing, but will probably leave it open all the time as well.

 

[fireguy56]

Hi, With secure area for them to hang out in we leave the chicken door open all day. At night they are locked down via auto door.
Erik

 

[kuntrygirl]

I leave the coops and everything open during the day but after everyone has gone in to roost, everything is locked to protect them at night.

 

[tamemeg]

Erik, can you give me some info on your automatic door? Did you make it yourself or did ya buy it, and where, if ya did. Thanks!

 

[tamemeg]

Erik, can you give me some info on your automatic door? Did you make it yourself or did ya buy it, and where, if ya did. Thanks!

 

[tamemeg]

Erik, can you give me some info on your automatic door? Did you make it yourself or did ya buy it, and where, if ya did. Thanks!