My coop was a mess until I stopped locking them in at night - here's what happened at my place in Georgia

I know everyone says you gotta lock your chickens up tight every night to keep them safe from predators. But after losing two birds to heat stress during that July heatwave in 2022, I started leaving the coop door cracked open at night. My run is fully enclosed with hardware cloth and I buried the wire a foot down. Lost zero birds since then, and they actually seem happier in the morning. My neighbor thinks I'm crazy for it. Anyone else tried leaving their coop open on hot nights?

2 comments

2 Comments

nora_park7216d ago

Wait, is this really that big of a deal? I mean yeah it gets hot in Georgia but we're talking about chickens here, not houseplants. They've been surviving outside for thousands of years without us leaving doors cracked for them. I've kept mine locked up tight every night through three Georgia summers now and they're fine, just make sure they have enough water and shade during the day. Sometimes I think we overthink this whole chicken keeping thing to be honest.

seandavis16d ago

Man, you're making it sound like a life or death thing. It's hot in Georgia, not a desert.