4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[janette1954]

I am really tired this morning due to my girls going to bed with the door open for the first time.New foxwatch on, OH watering the garden and a herbal teabag didn't help me sleep.I thought it was bad enough when my children were teenagers and were coming home late,don't know how I will manage if I ever get grandchildren to worry about.My three girls were fine though,very chatty this morning,probably thought I had left the door open by accident.

[jjjj]

Yes, we are new owners too. We have not yet left the door open - prehaps not that brave yet!

 

We find granchildren less of a worry as we are 'second line' - their parents take first worry, and afterall they (the parents) have our many year of experience to refer to!!

 

Take heart from all the info here, we have found it a mine of very valuable info. Lots of friendly helpful people - all dedecated to their chooks.

 

Happy chooking

 

jjjj

[superjules]

Janette, I worry too about my chooks and therefore if I'm home I lock them in. I bring their food in at night anyway, so there's no point in them getting up earlier than me because they can't get their own breakfast. I know nothing would happen to them if I didn't lock them in at night but I just can't get my head round it!

[ajm200]

We close the run every night but most nights we leave the door open so that the girls can get up really early

[Ain't Nobody Here]

We close the eglu door every night except when we go away for a couple of nights and have chicken-sitters.

 

We also take their food and water in at night. In the morning they seem quite happy to stay "indoors" till we let them out. There's a bit of banging and thumping when they hear us coming but no squawking!

[janette1954]

The reason I am leaving the door open is because I am going to France for 8 days and my son is very likeley to forget that they even exist and my nearly 80 year old parents, who are willing to pop in every day, do get slightly confused,I have been giving them lessons on getting the egg port back in properley,not easy !After the struggle with that they may well forget to let the girls out of the eglu so I guess the risk from the fox may be less than the risk from relatives!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I left ours for 8 days not long after we got them and was a bit worried too! Leaving the door open is definitely the best option but I put heavy slabs along the skirt just for peace of mind!

 

It all went fine!

[TheCoop]

Glad I read this - we are going away (only for 1 night though) soon and I was worried about what to do. I figure they will be alright with their door open, but I was mainly worried about if they got too cold....

 

What do you think??

[Ain't Nobody Here]

No, they'll be absolutely fine. Some forum members leave their doors open all year round, in rain, snow and wind. Your chickens have their own little personal duvets, remember, and each other to cuddle up to .

 

Edit: and apparently chickens' body temperature is a couple of degrees higher than humans so what seems cold to us probably doesn't to them!

[Sarah B]

I'm still too scared to try leaving it open - what a ninny

[BarbaraJ]

I found the coop that hubby built if the door is open they huddle in the nesting box but if its shut they roost on the roosting bars i made.

I too take the food in so theres no point in leaving the door open. Also they make no noise till they hear me which is usually a bit of rustling with the occasional mutter lol (chickens mutter well i know what i mean)

[Egluntyne]

They won't get cold.

 

I leave my Eglu doors open, the runs are well anchored down and they have been fine.

[Janepie33]

We never shut the eglu door or take their food in at night and the girls have been absolutely fine. They all snuggle up in the corner by the nesting box. We can tell where they have been sleeping, by the location of the poo piles! There is usually a pile in the nesting box, so we have to scoop it out asap before an egg lands on top.

The only thing I have to remember is to melt the ice in the glug on very cold mornings.

 

Jane

[Chuckov]

We leave the door open all the time now, although it took a couple of weeks before I felt confident enough. Ours huddle in the corner by the nesting box too. It is much better as they can get up when they want, and we're late risers (well, if 8am counts as late!) at the weekend

[TheCoop]

They won't get cold.

 

I leave my Eglu doors open, the runs are well anchored down and they have been fine.

 

Nice!!

 

 

[Egluntyne]

They won't get cold.

 

I leave my Eglu doors open, the runs are well anchored down and they have been fine.

 

Nice!!

 

 

 

Eh?

[Snoxy]

Other than anchoring your run down with paving slabs around the edges what else do you use? I thought the run was suppose to be fox proof anyway

 

I was thinking about leaving the Eglu door open so the girls can get up when they want...this morning at 7.30 they dashed out of the Eglu and went straight to their water and then food...I was just a little concerned they may need to get to their water earlier. I let them out every morning last week at 7.30 and didn't want to keep them waiting this morning....which wasn't a problem. I don't want to spoil them/make a rod for my own back tho Also, although we have them in a half shady, half sunny position in the garden I was thinking about the sunny, warm Summer mornings when they may get pretty warm in the Eglu before 7.30am.

 

Sorry if I appear naive but I'm a novice

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Sorry if I appear naive but I'm a novice

You certainly don't - we all began as novices and all asked questions we probably thought were daft only to find that loads of other people wanted to know exactly the same thing .

 

The run is described as fox-resistant rather than -proof (I think this was changed some time ago). I think people err on the side of caution by weighing down the skirt or using run pegs. It often depends on your type of soil - foxes can dig and I suppose the theory is that if you have light soil and your run isn't weighted down, a fox could dig then kind of "shoulder" its way into the run . Unlikely, but you never know .

[Hen Watch]

I let mine out each day at 7.30am and they are fine inside until then.

 

When I am on holiday the door is open all the time.

 

Last Summer I had the door open permanently but only decided to close them in after an early morning 4am wake up call when they were all shouting at a cat in the garden. So being kind to the neighbours I now lock them in, but I really would prefer to have the door open as it's such a pain getting out of bed early.

[jomaxsmith]

I got mine in October and dutifully shut the door and took in the Grub every night until about a month ago when I realised it would be much easier for our occasional nights visiting rellies for our neighbour just to have to check for eggs and check there was enough food rather than asking her to shut them in and out. I also admit I'm lazy and didn't enjoy going up the garden after dark!

 

So now I leave the door open and have just started leaving the Grub out too so they can have food when they wake up early.

 

It's just like when you have kids, start out saying they can't have sweets and within 18 months they're on Haribo whenever they whinge

 

Jo

[BarbaraJ]

lol last night i took out the food and some how forgot to shut their door. Week days i go out at 7-15 but weekends at 8-15. I don't think they were too happy to be out with no food (no idea when they got up!) lol shouting at me as i came up the garden!! won't be doing that again for a while, they are still quiet while shut in!