Do you need to close them in at night if it's an all enclosed coop?

[detz]

My plan is to build something similar to the image attached. We're not allowed to have them free roaming so they'll stay inside this coop the entire time. I've read a lot about doors and they seems like it's for protection so if they're enclosed in this coop do I need to close the door at night?

 

[Ridgerunner]

It depends on how comfortable you are that it is truly predator proof.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Totally agree with Ridgerunner. How sure are you it will be predator proof. I learned my lesson the hard way. Thought my outer enclosure was secure so pop holes were not locked. A fox got in and killed all my birds. I was left with none. I now have new outer enclosure and pop holes are shut and bolted every night now and triple checked. Please don't make the same mistake as I did.

Best of luck to you.

 

[tcstoehr]

That's all pretty logical. I have the same sort of situation and I do lock the pop-hole as well as the run. I figure it's two lines of defense.

 

[detz]

I guess it's better safe than sorry! Researching auto doors now.

 

[RonP]

My run is as secure as my coop.

I got tired of the battle with mother nature and her chicken loving critters...

As such, my run is open 24/7 to the birds, no door, just a hole.

While I am not inclined to, my birds can go out as early as they want, often ~5:30am ...

 

[chickengeorgeto]

My plan is to build something similar to the image attached. We're not allowed to have them free roaming so they'll stay inside this coop the entire time. I've read a lot about doors and they seems like it's for protection so if they're enclosed in this coop do I need to close the door at night?

To answer your question with my own question, why do you think that castles had draw bridges?

 

[RonP]

To answer your question with my own question, why do you think that castles had draw bridges?

Because the outside of the castle was not as secure as the inside?

 

[sunflour]

My plan is to build something similar to the image attached. We're not allowed to have them free roaming so they'll stay inside this coop the entire time. I've read a lot about doors and they seems like it's for protection so if they're enclosed in this coop do I need to close the door at night?

We built the same type and it is fort knox. We used commercial strength hardware cloth on all wire areas and over the window openings. Surrounded the foundation with same attached to foundation and extended out 2 feet--covered that with tampered dirt and very heavy >20 # stones lined around over that. Make sure there are no openings anywhere over a 1/2 inch. Use raccoon proof closures on all openings. And if you feel it is secure, then you don't have to lock in roosting area at nite. But I would put a chicken door in so you can keep them in or out of the roost area when needed. When they are young, lock them in at night. Also, you can lock them out in the run to clean the coop. But can leave it open most of the time.

We added onto the original after the first year for more play area and repeated the same precautions to make it as predator proof as possible.

 

[The Lazy L]

My run is as secure as my coop.

I got tired of the battle with mother nature and her chicken loving critters...

As such, my run is open 24/7 to the birds, no door, just a hole.

While I am not inclined to, my birds can go out as early as they want, often ~5:30am ...

Same here.

Run is as secure as the coop (NO CHICKEN WIRE USED! Chicken door is left open 24 x 7.