With attached run, is it essential or not to shut and lock coop chicken door at night?

[wrathsfarm]

If you got a possible bear concern I would think about totally enclosing the coop in the run. As suggested, then electrify it.

 

[Ebz5003]

Thank you...that really helps!

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

I'm in wooded hills in Alabama and have raccoons, possums, squirrels, neighborhood dogs, and foxes to contend with. I was able to fence them all out. BUT my worst predators are snakes. They show up every spring and fall and NO fence I've ever built keeps them out completely. What does work is a super-stout LOCKED coop with a reinforced floor, a tight-fitting door, double-wired windows, and weekly inspections of all 4 corners of the coop in snake season. If there is a crack anywhere, they'll find it.

During daylight when the door is open, I check every few hours for "visitors" and regularly find 6-8-10 ft rat snakes in my nests eating eggs. I've become very adapt at cutting their heads off. I have at least one incident every week all spring and fall. (I go thru the same thing in the horse barn except there I get copperheads and rattlers too. At least I never see a mouse in my barns anymore--snakes got 'em all!)

I'm on acreage, not a mini-farm situation or lot-style location, which does make a difference. I don't care WHAT'S out in the pastures--that's their territory--but house-barns-coops are MY territory and I don't tolerate any visitors here!

 

[PimsGarden]

Coop looks like a fortress, id still close it at night tho! Better safe than sorry and in there they will def be safe it seems. Someone mentioned lack of ventilation and I'm not seeing any either. I'd get some put up at the very top of the roof and cover it with 1/2 hardware cloth. Doesn't need to be huge, you could even use one of those round drill bits that cuts perfect 2" holes and then put hardware cloth behind it and staple it in place very well. That ventilation is about to be important with colder temps coming, you want to prevent moisture from accumulating and chickens produce a lot of it with respiration. Long as they don't have drafts hitting them they can handle extremely low temps, but they can't handle cold drafts on them so make it above the roost and maybe on the opposite wall from the roost if it's too close on the roost side. You've got an awesome setup!

 

[Seaslug]

We thought that our run was secure with 1/2" hardware cloth covering every inch, including the top, so the first 6 months we did not close the coop door. Until a mink got in through a quarter size gap at the human entrance and killed four of our six hens. Then we put hardware cloth all over the coop (that sits in the hardware clothed run) and we make sure we close the coop door each night after a head count. No more horrible surprises in the morning. So, from personal experience, I would advise closing the coop door. It is much better to have two levels of protection, in case one fails on you and your chickens.

 

[McChooky]

If your coop is in your backyard and close to the house and you have dogs and if you're home all the time you might get by with it but only if you have a Fort Knox coop

I do...

 

[SunHwaKwon]

For what is worth, the automatic coop doors are much more affordable now than they were just a few years ago. I have solar powered ones on mine, though for now my guineas sleep in my run.

 

[PatriciafromCO]

I shut the barn up with the birds at night. I have 6ft fencing off the barn. They do put themselves up right before dusk. But they would be out running around making noise, before dawn if the door was left open, when the wild life is out hunting. Even thought everyone knows they are here. I don't want to draw any more attention to them at peak times.