[rosie14]

Hi all just wondering if any of you have your hens live outside but not shut up at night in a coop at all?

[joyfull]

I have several that roost in trees and are very healthy however catching them to cull (the cockerels) is very difficult. Also it is impossible to treat for mites or any other illnesses. They do roost over 20 feet up and are on very spindly branches so should a mink, badger of fox etc., come along they are still safe. Really I would prefer them all locked up in a coop at night.

[lazydog]

I used to have a couple of bantams that lived in the next door neighbours tree by the house
luckily she was hard of hearing,sadley when she passed the new family where not so friendly and i had to fence them in 

[Thrift]

Ours were all safely locked up (we thought) until the mink got in with them  Then I wished they had been loose with unclipped wings. Generally though, I would prefer them locked in a secure place.

[chasechicken]

Ours are locked up but I know some which spend the night in mysterious locations such as trees and hedges, only reappearing at some point the next day for food.

We're always told that we must provide shelter for the hens and to ensure there aren't any drafts - just wonder if it's really such a big deal if some do stay out?

[joyfull]

Last year through all the snow I still had some tree roosting - one spent the nights in a cherry tree without any leaf cover at all. Every morning he had frost on his outer feathers but was very healthy.
The problem with drafts and coops is that any coop gaps will concentrate the draft into just one small area which can cause problems.

[Abacus]

Mine tend top roost in the hen run during the summer when its warm ( I have roost bars quite high up so they can catch a few UV rays late in the day) but now winter is here they all tend to go into hen house. The smell when I open the door in the morning to let them out is somewhat reminiscent of a rugby teams changing room after a match...

[kegs]

The smell when I open the door in the morning to let them out is somewhat reminiscent of a rugby teams changing room after a match...

I'll be letting my girls out bleary eyed tomorrow morning with a whole new set of images in my mind!!!     

[bygrace]

Do you think I'd be OK leaving mine in their secure enclosure on the odd occasion when I'm away overnight? It's reasonably (!) fox proof with sides and roof of 1" x 1/2" weldmesh, with a 12" weldmesh skirt all the way around, held down with tent pegs. The girls put themselves to bed at night but of course if I was away their pophole would be open and possibly drafty. Would one night be Ok do you think? It's so difficult finding someone to look after them of a night. Thanks BG

[ANHBUC]

Mine are in a coop with attached run which is in a large enclosure.  I shut them in the coop and run on a night but do not close the pop hole so they can get up and eat and drink as soon as they are ready on a morning.  Then I open the run door for them to have access to the enclosure at 8 am.  They have been fine with the pop hole open and the air vent also open even with all the recent gale force winds.  So I think it would be a matter of security against the fox rather than the draft.

[snowdrops]

Do you think I'd be OK leaving mine in their secure enclosure on the odd occasion when I'm away overnight? It's reasonably (!) fox proof with sides and roof of 1" x 1/2" weldmesh, with a 12" weldmesh skirt all the way around, held down with tent pegs. The girls put themselves to bed at night but of course if I was away their pophole would be open and possibly drafty. Would one night be Ok do you think? It's so difficult finding someone to look after them of a night. Thanks BG

reasonably fox proof isn't the same as fox proof. When I had chickens I read this
 "A fox just has to get lucky once you have to be lucky all the time"
You say your 12"skirt is held with tent pegs I was under the impression it needed to be buried & facing outwards so that if a fox tries to dig under it is met with the mesh & can't get under

[Sassy]

The mesh problem can be soved by getting a piece large enough to go under the whole house/small run with a skirt proud to the outside.

[bygrace]

Do you think I'd be OK leaving mine in their secure enclosure on the odd occasion when I'm away overnight? It's reasonably (!) fox proof with sides and roof of 1" x 1/2" weldmesh, with a 12" weldmesh skirt all the way around, held down with tent pegs. The girls put themselves to bed at night but of course if I was away their pophole would be open and possibly drafty. Would one night be Ok do you think? It's so difficult finding someone to look after them of a night. Thanks BG

Thanks for your help guys - and sorry Rosie14 that I hijacked your thread!!

[Spana]

I have about a dozen hens and cockerels and two guinea fowl who out-roost, the other 60+  are  shut up every night. I've never had the out roosters attacked at night, the problem comes early morning.  They are all up and about very early, long before we are, and thats when you get visits from the fox.
MY out- roosters have come from broodies who have laid away and walked out from the barns with a clutch of chicks.  These chicks reared outside with their mum for protection are usually strong and streetwise and dont want to be housed when they grow up, but as said above its a pain, but not impossible, when you need to cull cockerels.

[joyfull]

Have managed now to catch and cull all but one of mine - greed is their downfall 
Just got to catch the last blighter and then no more hedgerow chicks hatching for me