Can i put them to bed early

[chancer]

My new chickens are settling in well, but I am a bit concerned about their safety if I go out for an evening.

Their house is secure, once i raise the drawbridge, but their run has regular hexagonal chicken wire which i am told isnt fox proof (and no 'floor' to it either).

During the day they free-range in the garden


Can I put them to bed in the house early without food and water? If so, how early?

Or should I just fox-proof the run with super strong wire and then just shut them in there with food and water and not bother securing them in the house?


Any advice gratefully received!


Chancer

[MaureenHall]

Hello Chancer and welcome

Course you can put them to bed early if you have to, but I wouldn't do it too far in advance of their bedtime. They'll probably tell you off and not want to go though. Fox-proofing is a sensible idea, though mine isn't fox-proofed. There's 6-7' high walls/fences all round my garden and I know that determined foxes could get over it. If I'm going to be out for an hour or so after their bed-time, I leave my girls to it then check on them and lock up when I get home. If it's going to be an overnighter, then I get one of my daughters to go and lock them up.

[lynda66]

i took all the worry out by putting a top and base on my run, so if i go out i put the chooks in the run .... and they put themselves to bed, and now it's warmer i leave the pop hole open all the time .... but when they were smaller and it was colder, i'd put them to bed with food and water in the house ... and cos there is a window, so it stayed light, and it's a big house, they were happy to lounge and scratch around till perch time

[Flummery]

I also have a top and hard floor to my run. It just gives you more confidence.

[RichmondHens]

Have you considered using an automatic opener/closer (you can either set it to timer or let it run photosensitively, ie it opens at dawn and closes at dusk when the birds have gone to bed)? They are great if you are going out and want to know the birds are secure. Also great if you want a lie in on Sundays!!

[Birdie Wife]

They might not like going to bed hungry but they won't come to much harm. I wouldn't want my hens to be without water for more than 12 hours though, especially down south where the mornings and evenings came still be quite hot. I would still want to close up the coop at night even if the run were fox proof (ask kirsty b...).

[chancer]

thanks for all the answers.

i have changed the wire on my run today from standard hex to 13x13mm galvanised mesh and covered the floor of the run with the same.

now i will leave them in the run and leave the house door open for a couple of nights to see how they get on.

then when i do go away the neighbours only have to get them into the run in the evening rather than wait until they go to bed, which by late june is going to be 10pm!