[snow white]

Do any of you keep chickens on an allotment?  If so what time of day do you go up to let them out, surely not daybreak?

[GYO Girl]

My chickens are not in an allotment, they are at the bottom of the garden, but even I don't get up especially to let them out! 

Well, that's not quite true -  I used to when I first got them, but when I found myself setting the alarm for 6.00am on sunday mornings in the middle of summer to let the girls out, I thought "this is crazy"... and that's when I discovered the auto pop-hole opener!  Best ever invention for chook-keepers - not particularly cheap but WELL worth the money and thoroughly recommended for sunday morning lie-ins!
 

[steelman]

We have 2 allotment chicken runs and about 30 birds at present. Its a shared hobby with my brother and we take it in turns to open/close. Being as I work shifts, they are opened at 5.30am most mornings either on my way to work or coming home ! We've only had 1 fox attack ( only last week) and that was because I left a bird out all night, and because I overlooked an area of weakness in the perimeter.

[RigsVilleBird]

I learnt the hard way, I didnt put the girls to bed and lost most of my birds to a fox 

I now put my birds to bed shortly after dusk and let them out about 7.30am each morning.  Since I have adopted this way I have had no more problems.