locking the coop at night

I just bought 8 hens and a rooster -Partridge Chantecler's. The are all 1 or 2 yrs old. They have a 20 X 20 run and a 10 X 10 house. The run is chain link with a deer fence 'roof'. They sleep inside but I am wondering if we should lock then in at night to keep them safer? What does everyone else do. We don't have raccoons but we do have coyote's around and dogs in the neighbour hood and our dogs sleep inside at night.

I would lock them up at night and now I am wishing that I didn't get so casual by only locking up the run. At this time of year there are all sorts of predators that are having trouble finding food and weasels can easily go through most wire fences including 1"x1" chicken wire.

I agree with Dan. It will all be just fine...until one day all of a sudden it isn't fine. Plus it will help keep it a bit warmer in the coop as the nights get colder.

Congratulations on your new chicken flock!

I have locked my chickens up every night since early this summer. We had a weasel killing chickens. The one night I was busy and up late then went to bed forgetting to shut everyone in, we were visited by a marten. It actually had my rabbit by the ear through the cage. The rabbit was along the outside of the chicken coop. We scared it off (couldn't shoot without hitting the rabbit). Thankfully it didn't get into the chicken house. My chickens are either free ranging or shut in their yard during the day depending on what is going on.

Funny thing the other night. I was busy and didn't get out to shut the chickens in until after dark. I shone the flashlight around the yard to check for bears (we have lots of those), went out put the turkeys in (they don't go in on their own), shut the chickens in, and was coming back to the house, when I heard something run by me in the dark. I had my flashlight and shone it on a bear cub. I tell you it scared me! Couldn't see Mama, but I bet she wasn't far.

Yikes! I think the cub would almost scare me more than seeing the adult because now your wondering where the adult is!

As others have said, better safe than sorry. A predator can have a good 4 or 5 unhindered hours to try and figure out how to get into your pens. Best to make it as difficult as possible.

Your lucky to not have raccoons. My hen house doors have scratches all over them from them trying to get in.

When you shut them in at night and still want fresh cool air going over the floor so as to constantly be drying the poop and keeping ammonia levels low, then try using a 1/2"x1/2" wire cover over the door or a wire door that slides down . Good luck.

Thanks so much for the information. We will build a door this afternoon. That is a good idea to have the air flow across the floor!

I agree with the others. I have a LGD who takes care of everyone but at night I still lock them all up because we often have more than one or two coyotes and Jackson can only handle one at a time. A fox came into the yard about a week ago and grabbed one of the ducks. Jackson managed to save the duck but not before it was badly mauled. Luckily it pulled through. Close the doors at night. Better be safe than sorry. Lou

So the Ladies and Gent are safely locked up in their coop for the night. We may put in a couple wire covered air holes but want to wait and see if we need the extra ventilation. Maybe we will need a summer door with vents and a winter door without. Managed to coax them to eat out of my hand today! bread and tomatoes are a big hit!

Thanks again for all the help!

I would not even dream of not closing down the doors of my birds at night. I cannot rest if they are open I am sure. Sometimes my birds even have to go to bed early if I know we are going to be out and I won't be home until after dark. They don't like a 4:00 bed time in summer, spring, fall or winter (well, winter doesn't matter, they like to go to bed about 3:00 in the winter anyways). When my birds are locked down at night I can sleep. I am nearly 100% positive nothing can get in when they are locked down, and that brings me comfort. We have very secure buildings here for the birds. I think the birds have a certain comfort anyways of being closed in, with only the natural daylight of the windows. Safe and snug as bugs in that rug. Have a wonderful and great day, CynthiaM.

Cindy, you couldn't have said it better. Sleep tight.

I watch the Oais channel. It is all about wildlife. Last night they had a show on and one segment was a very short part about chickens. So short, though, why don't they do more on chickens, smiling. Anyways, it showed this freaky little fox going into this persons yard, across their sundeck and then into the chicken run. All the fox had to do was push its head under the chainlink fence and it was in. It was clearly quite dark out, the chicken house door was open. The fox walked up the walkway to the door that was about 2 feet off the ground. Went into the coop and then you heard the chickens sqawking. Thank goodness it didn't show anymore. Still can't figure out what that segment was there for, it was not a good thing. But clearly, that person didn't close the little door that is the opening to the big, bad world of the night (and day) creatures. Or had forgotten to close it. I am sure that disasterous things happened in that coop. Sigh. It only takes a minute to shut them down, and they are all safe, we are their keepers, and they deserve for us to look after them, the very best that we possibly can, I know it is not always that easy, but for me -- I have made it that easy. Have a wonderful day, CynthiaM.