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

[Tinkerbell]

Hi

I am going away next week and my daughter is coming in to feed my chooks but she is not an early riser so I thought should I leave the hatch door open so the chooks can go to bed when they want and get up in the mornings when they want. The run will be locked My garden is also fully fenced with cat fencing so I am not concerned about foxes

 

Does anyone leave the their hatch door open all night ? I normally am up at the crack of dawn to let them out so I am a bit concerned about leaving the door open all night. Will the chicks get cold ?

 

thanks

[Ain't Nobody Here]

It'll be fine to leave it open. Some forum members leave their eglu door open all year round. I've left mine open when I've been on holiday in October with no adverse effects.

[MaggieMcHen]

I've left mine open every night, winter and summer, for months - one of the girls much prefers roosting out side the henhouse on the high perch in the cube run. She obviously doesn't feel the cold!!!! They do wear duvets after all.

[mostin]

I haven't closed my door at night yet on the eglu.

 

The people I adopted my girls from said they never did and it has certainly save me from having to be an early riser.

[Tinkerbell]

thanks for your replies, I feel happier now about leaving their door open.

[hennymom]

our door is open spring to Autumn we havent gone through a winter yet...so ..watch this space....

[ValR]

How early is 'early'? I've only had my chooks about 10 days and so far I've been up at 7.30am to let them out. Is that too late?

[Daphne]

No! Hens do need a certain amount of daylight to encourage laying but ours don't surface before 8.00 and at the weekends sometimes its 9.00! No problem for them/us/eggs....

[Yolky]

ValR that is fine. My chooks come out between 7 and 8 (usually 8 at weekends) they don't seem to mind.

 

I have only left the eglu open once and that is because I knew we had a late night and would find it hard to get up for them early, they didn't seem to mind that either.