[hillbilly]

The run is definately predator proof and everyone around me leaves their pop holes open at night.
But their coops are much bigger - mine is just a small 4' x 4' job. I've positioned the coop to reduce drafts and sheltered the entrance as well so there wont be a howling gale but is just an open hole not a good idea? It is at the level they sleep.
Please help - I just can't decide what's best. It's OK to open it at the moment with it not getting light till 7.00 ish but what about the summer 

[meterman]

I never close mine i also leave the window open all year as well. The only closed one is my cockerel shed and hes locked up till 7.30 all year round.

[hillbilly]

OK, thanks for that and sounds encouraging, so... how big is your coop with how many birds to keep each other warm?
Do you how cold is OK for chooks?

[karlooben]

i would be very carefull about leaving the pop hole open all night theres no such thing as a predator proof  house or run if mr fox wants in he or she will get in , i have said mines totally fox proof etc but oneday i will be proved wrong .

your birds will be fine shut away until you can get down to let them out .

also i would think that having a hole  at the same height they sleep at isnt a good idea but then again i havent dealt with this sort of thing before i just have the main shed door which is kept open from 6 am all year round to late in the summer an shut early in the winter .

[richyrich7]

I used to leave mine open over the summer, but last week I had the 1st ever fox in the run !!!   fortunately for some reason I had shut the pop hole that night, also it stops vermin getting in to steal food

[karlooben]

hiya richy how ya doing , hope  your girls were ok 

[richyrich7]

hiya richy how ya doing , hope  your girls were ok 

Not so bad looby, you ok ?    yeah my girls where fine, think one of 'em decided to moult a bit quicker tho 

[karlooben]

i am fine  i bet she did more then that    i keep hearing noises from out the back of my garden on the allotments an its making me paranoid i stand at the back door wandering wether to grab the dog and go check .

[richyrich7]

Gets you like that don't it 

[karlooben]

the annoying thing is when i hear a noise he dogs tend to bark right at the wrong time so i cant quite work out the noise in the first place  anyways i have given up trying to watch friday the 13th to scary so me is of to bed take care  chat soon

[richyrich7]

Yep you to take care 

[lucylou]

hi! ive been keeping my pop holes open for a couple of  montths now as i hope too that my runs are secure.  i do not leave them open in the summer as the girls get up too early (5 ish)and make a racket! as everything else so quiet at that time in the morning!  i am getting to think i may start shutting the pop holes again as a lot of people are saying the foxes are pretty determined and will persist in breaking in even if it takes them all night - which is alarming...actually i am going to shut them in right now..........lucylou

[karlooben]

no one means to scare you into shutting your pop hole as everyone can do as they please but we all must be aware that the fox can easily outsmart us no matter how secure we think our runs and houses may be , its always better to be safe then sorry . i would like to keep my girls house door open but i dare not as i know they will just wander around all night an no doubt wind up the fox thats watching them why do i know they will do that well last eyar the 2 sheds i was using were side by side until the strong winds caught them as they came apart from each other { hole in ethier wall so girls could use both sheds } an  went to let them out an they were already out and about that was at 5,30ish am .

[Flowerpower136]

I've got an auto closer, even though I thing my pen is fox proof, I wouldnt risk it.  Also I'd be worried about rats joining them for the night!

[Jane-M]

My run isn't even hen proof it would seem. By time I get back to the house a couple of Sunday Dinners are there to greet me and I CANNOT find where they are getting through