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Meet others keeping chickens on our Mumsnet Chicken forum.

Chicken keepers

Do you always close the chicken house door at night and open it in the morning?

34 replies

peggy0062 · 19/04/2011 17:41

Do I have to lock the chickens in the house at night or can I leave the door open? If I have a fox proof run attached to the chicken house then I don't have to, do I?

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VivaLeBeaver · 19/04/2011 17:42

Never have done in 9 years and my run isn't even fox proof. Touch wood has been fine.

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ProfYaffle · 19/04/2011 17:43

I don't. We also have a fox proof run attached to the coop plus we have high walls/fences around the garden and never seen sight nor sound of a fox. I have been wondering if I should start though as our new chickens are doing that alarm call thing quite early in the morning and it must disturb the neighbours. Dread to think what'll happen in high summer when they're out about 4am.

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peggy0062 · 19/04/2011 18:40

ProfYaffle, how noisy are your chickens compare to wild birds?

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ChickensHaveNoEyebrows · 19/04/2011 18:42

I don't through the winter, but about now I start shutting them in. They are noisy little madams, and with the lighter mornings are getting earlier and earlier with egg announcements. Oh, and mine freak out when the hedgehog wanders past at 6am.

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ilovemykitchenaid · 19/04/2011 18:46

we didnt 2 summers ago and Mr Fox slaughtered the whole coop. Very upsetting and would never risk that again

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ProfYaffle · 19/04/2011 19:13

Way noisier than wild birds! But then they're at ground level and close to the house. We recently adopted some ex-batts and it's just one of those who'd noisy, never had a problem before.

yy to the hedgehog freaking, our noisy one is a shrieking drama queen.

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MissBeehivingChoclitWabbits · 19/04/2011 20:21

Yes - I do - we have foxes 'round these parts.

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saltyseadog · 19/04/2011 22:29

Yes I always shut mine in. Mr. Fox is frequently seen out and about, so for me it's not worth risking.

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peggy0062 · 19/04/2011 22:46

Generally what time do you shut the chickens in?
I have seen Mr Fox in day time in my backgarden!

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Madsometimes · 20/04/2011 08:24

No. We have an eglu so it is all fox proof anyway.

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peggy0062 · 20/04/2011 10:20

Madsometimes, do you like you eglu? Is it as easy to maintain as they claim to be? Do you have a classic, go or cube?

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LilyBolero · 20/04/2011 10:22

No, I never do, only in May/June really to stop them getting up ridiculously early and squawking to wake up the neighbours!

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Ripeberry · 21/04/2011 00:14

I only lock mine up in winter if there is severe cold/cold wind or there is a storm brewing.
In the summer they do as they please.

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frankenonsense · 21/04/2011 00:26

My DH forgot one night and now we have no chooks :( (fox bit through the wire).

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empirestateofmind · 21/04/2011 03:40

The pop hole on my chicken house has a light sensitive battery operated motor above. As it gets light the motor winds the wire up and the door opens, at dusk it closes. It took a few days for the hens to work out they had to go to bed when the noise started but they soon got the hang of it.

We have a lot of foxes nearby and neighbours have lost hens and lambs. It is not worth the risk.

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Madsometimes · 21/04/2011 14:01

We have a classic, and it works for us because we are keeping chickens in a small urban garden. It is easy to maintain, we take it apart and hose it down every month, and empty the poo tray a few times a week. We only have 2 chickens though.

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lily06 · 21/04/2011 21:04

I lock mine in, but only because they have a large open run which is not fox-proof. Although a fox could get in during the daytime, its much more likely at dusk/dawn. Also, the dark does keep them quiet until a more reasonable hour (close neighbours).

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chickchickchicken · 21/04/2011 21:05

i shut mine in every night. i just wouldnt risk it as foxes are very clever and unless the door is shut i would worry about them. i have heard of foxes getting into fox proof runs

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CrispyTheCrisp · 21/04/2011 21:08

Foxes have got into our neighbours run which is protected by an electric fence. They (and we when we are looking after them) shut them up at dusk (so 8pm ish now) and open it again in the morning every day

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verlainechasedrimbauds · 21/04/2011 21:11

My sister has a chicken that comes up to the cat-flap at dusk and asks to be put to bed. It startled me the first time I heard a little "tap tap" and then a sad little "quaaaark". I think it's rather sweet - my sister thinks it's a nuisance and that the ruddy bird ought to have worked out that if she can get out she ought to be able to get back in again.

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IngridBergman · 21/04/2011 21:14

I close the pop hatch every evening around 8pm (earlier just at dusk during the winter). We have a good solid run attached about the size of a garage, but even so it's a second line of defence and we have a roaming fox.

I know it's probably annoying for them having to wait till I get dressed to be let out, but I know if I didn't shut up shop every night the foxes might think it was more worth the effort getting into the actual run.

I don't lock the rabbits up every night, (they are based in the same run) as they have a system of burrows under their hutch which are hopefully more fox proof than the hen house is. And I hate chasing them around to get them, to oblige anyway.

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notremotelyintofootie · 21/04/2011 21:45

We generally do but dh has forgotten occasionally and no problems but we saw a huge fox in our garden at mid day the other day!!!

I have to admit I have started letting them out when I do dd's early feed (about half five!)....Am hoping that dd will sleep through soon though so that'll stop!

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empirestateofmind · 22/04/2011 02:23

I recommend the electric gizmo folks, I got it mail order. It saved me having to go out in my wellies and pyjamas to let the hens out each morning.

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ChasingSquirrels · 22/04/2011 10:34

I haven't for about two years and have never had any problems, we are on the edge of a small village and back on to open fields. I have never seen foxes, but know that in the next village (a mile) friends have had hens taken.

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mummymeister · 22/04/2011 16:40

We shut ours in at dusk and don't let them out til it is properly light. Our enclosure has a 6 ft fence round it and a proper coop in the middle but you only have to lose one once and it scars you forever! Picking up the bits of a beloved pet chicken concentrates the mind- we never forget to lock them up now. The problem with the fox is once in it kills everything and keeps coming back thereafter. The old saying "no good closing the door after the horse has bolted". If you want to risk it and have been lucky up to now not locking them in then that's great but i wouldnt wish the carnage we had last time on anyone!