Do I need to close the hen house door?

[gt568]

I have a very secure run for my hens and I was wondering do I need to close the door to there house at night this time of year as it is quite warm....

As it's light early and dark late will they be okay to leave it open, then they can come out whenever they want in the morning and I can have a bit of lie in....

[gt568]

[northener]

Depends how secure your pen is to a fox attack. Remember a fox can scale a 6ft fence

[Poet]

how secure?

ours is on soil surrounded by concrete slabs, the wire is weld mesh (foxes can bite thru chicken wire), it has a roof and locks and bolts on all doors including the nest box and the mesh goes down into the soil.

some pics here http://club.omlet.co.uk/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=22866

however I wouldn't be happy leaving the door open in case something spooked them in the night and they injured themselves by flapping around in the run or just in case something like a stoat/weasel managed to squeeze in thru any small gaps.

Other people will tell you it's fine and not to worry but we used to have an aviary with budgies, cockatiels, finches, canaries etc and we left their roost open as we assumed their flight was safe, the construction was very similar to our chicken run.  Something got in and killed them all, no idea what it was but it must have been able to squeeze theu very small gaps!

I personally just don't want to risk it, so after they've taken themselves off to bed, we close the coop door!

[Old bird]

My girls haven't yet got the hang of going to bed as it is still light when I decide that I have had enough!!  Normally 7.30 8 ish.

So every evening the routine is the same!  When I go in there saying "OK girls - bedtime"  they all rush out in line for me to pop each and every one in either through the door until 5 or 6 are in and then start spilling out again!  then the rest in through the pop hole.  One is more nervous than the rest and she has just caught on that she can do it herself - so she legs it up the ramp - but generally she is one of the last!

I wouldn't leave mine out in the open at night - not only from the fox problem but also - as they are on the 'lottie - the possible "people problem".  They are padlocked in and the run is also padlocked - just in case - although we haven't had any problems there is always a first time!

They go in and out of the house happily during the day - but make sure tha no-one is in there when it is time for bed!!

Love em!

Old Bird
;D

[goodlife]

...and fox can dig very well too...unless your run side mesh is dug into soil at least couple of ft. deep...it ain't secure..