If you allow your chickens to free-range, you will have to let them out every morning and make sure everyone returns at dusk. It is best to close them up at night to keep out all unwanted predators. Leave the coop open during the day so your hens can access the nesting boxes when necessary.
So yes, chickens can stay inside their coop all day as long as they have everything they need for the entire day, including light. If your coop does not have windows you can put in lights and a timer, but that often requires running electric and many people don't want to do that outside.
Backyard chickens don't need to free range to be happy, healthy and productive. There are plenty of situations in which free ranging isn't practical. Predators, limited space or intolerant landscaping are all good reasons to keep the birds in their enclosed run.
Further to this point, it is only safe to leave your chickens unattended for three to four days if you have done the necessary preparation in advance, just like you would with any other pet, like a cat or a dog. Chickens are reasonably simply creatures that just need food, water and adequately secure shelter.
If you have young chickens—like Russ, who I mentioned above—and they don't want to leave the coop for all or part of the day, this is totally normal. They're just learning about their environment and how to be chickens. I've had some young chickens spend many months almost entirely in the coop.
While chickens are quite creative when it comes to keeping themselves entertained - free-ranging is their forte! In the winter months, when the days are shorter and there aren't as many exciting bugs, weeds and grasses to peck at, chickens can become bored. And bored chickens are definitely not happy chickens.
After dusk, they may go into the coop in search of food. The rodents can then scare the chickens and cause them to avoid the coop at night. The best solution for people raising chickens is to use a treadle feeder to prevent rodents from accessing the chicken food.
6-week-old chickens should be ready to move from the brooder to the chicken coop if the outdoor temperature is at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Make the transition from the brooder to the chicken coop slowly so chicks can acclimate to their new home.
Many people allow them to free range for short time each day, but to keep the chickens from wandering too far, they limit “recess” to no more than a couple of hours, and often just a half hour.
You may have to confine the chickens to the coop for another week in order to ensure they accept it as their home and a safe area. Once the chickens have adjusted to the coop as their new home, they will return to it naturally when they sense danger, want to rest, or at sundown each day.
Rats are not attracted to chickens. However, they are attracted to chicken feed, and love stealing a freshly laid egg. Rats are also attracted to nice, warm, cozy places to live, especially if there is a reliable food source nearby.
Don't feel bad if you decide not to have free-ranging chickens. It just might not be a good option for you. If you have a small property, live in a neighborhood, have a lot of predators, or any other reason it's ok to raise them confined.
Normally around sunrise is best, but if your work schedule dictates that you leave before sunup, as long as your run is predator-proofed, you can open the coop door and the chickens will come out on their own when it gets light out.
Most chickens don't care to be handled, so whenever possible, I recommend handling and examining chickens after dark when they're half asleep on the roost and unable to see well enough to put up much of a fuss. Wear a headlamp or have a partner holding a flashlight for you while you work.
Keeping the door open could invite other animals to get inside the coop so, you should close your chicken coop door at night to protect your chickens from predators, such as raccoons, skunks, dogs, cats, weasels, coyotes, foxes, and snakes.
Because crowded hens are more likely to quarrel and pick at each other, open sores and broken feathers result that can led to infection. Disease carrying microbes thrive in crammed dirty coops. Four square feet of floor space per bird is a bare minimum for a healthy flock.
Use a Chicken Run
When you attach a run to your chicken coop, you give your flock enough space to explore, forage, and hang out without letting them wander too far from home. Make sure you have plenty of space in the run and attached chicken coop to accommodate all of your hens.
Outdoor Runs and Roosting
Try to plan for at least 10 square feet of outdoor space per chicken. But really, the more space you can provide, the happier your chickens will be.
Placing Your Feeders & Waterers
They function best if placed in the run instead of inside the coop. Chickens don't usually eat after they go to roost, which is about 30 minutes before dusk. The best place for your feeder and waterer is where your chickens spend the most time during the day.
Chickens will sleep for as long as it is dark. Most of the time, they sleep completely uninterrupted from dusk until dawn, no matter how short or long the natural night lasts.
On sunny days, chickens will position themselves to absorb the sun's warmth, and on cold nights, they will huddle together in a tight group to share body heat. Chickens can even slightly lower their internal metabolism to better resist cold snaps.
Chickens have poor night vision and cannot find their roosts in the dark. Adding supplemental light at the end of the day, allows no transition time for them to get positioned for sleeping. Sudden darkness can cause confusion, stress and possible panic leading to injuries.
The easiest and fastest way to know if your chickens are happy is to watch them. A content chicken will participate in normal chicken activities, such as pecking and scratching the ground, taking a dust bath, hunting for bugs, nesting, preening, and laying eggs.