When chickens go to bed?

[farmerbly]

I'm new to the chicken game! I'm building a coop as we speak. But I have alot of questions. When your chickens "Go to bed" do you close the chicken door (for lack of a better description don't know the technical name of the small door that the chickens use)? Or do you leave it open all night so they can come out on their own in the morning? Do you lock em in all night?
Thanks
BP

 

[farmerbly]

Oh yea, I have a big run. 20x50 with the coop inside the run. Looking at about 12 birds.

 

[Fred's Hens]

If you use a pop door, or a small door for the birds to come and go, it is likely you'd want to build it in such a way that it can be slid shut, or barred shut at night. Otherwise it is an open invitation to critters to prey upon your sleeping birds. Most runs aren't built with enough integrity to be the walls of last defense, the coop itself is.

 

[farmerbly]

Do u think if u put something on the pop door like a doggy door, something soft or plastic hanging down would they use it?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Not a fan of a curtain type thing for them to plunge through as a dog might. A chicken will use a huge swinging barn door you open for them, to a re-purposed exterior door off a house, to a hand built door, to a window you open to let them out, to a pop door, to..... etc....

That is not a big question. The real issue becomes, What can you make predator proof?

 

[PeepsAreForMe]

On those 90 degree nights we had last month I would leave the pop door open for more air circulation. BUT, my husband had built a completely predator proof run attached to their coop so I did not worry. Unless you have that, I would never leave the pop door open at night. The temporary run that my girls have access to now during the day is only plastic fencing. So I panic if it is dark outside and I haven't "tucked them in" (closed their door).

 

[UrbanBYC]

Leaving the door open really depends where you live. My neighbor has a coop and he never closes the doors. The run is just 4' chicken wire, no top, and his chickens have been doing grat, they are still laying eggs at almost 9yrs. Our racoons around here go for eggs, not chickens. Your case may be different.

 

[Vicky2479]

My coop is inside a run which is inside a well fenced yard and I live in the city where we have next to no predators so I don't close the coop at night but if I lived 20 mins down the road or in the US then I would probably invest in an automatic pop door and double check all the girls were in safe for the night

 

[Mattemma]

I go out and close the shed/coop door once they are all in.I let them out late morning.I make sure they have food and water to keep them occupied when they wake.

 

[Sjisty]

Just like everyone else has advised, it depends on the security of your run. My run is very secure, so I leave the coop doors open at night. My girls free-range during the day, so they use the run pretty much as an extended coop. The main door to the run gets closed tight every evening.