Since you're only going to be back an hour or two later, I would just leave the light on, in this scenario.So, a final thought…should I leave the coop light on until I return or just let them go in without the light? It is very dark inside the coop and I have been told that they have bad night vision so I worry they won’t be able to get on their roosting bars.
Because of my schedule, I’m rarely around at the time that my chickens go to bed. I’ve got an automatic door to my coop that closes based on the amount of light it perceives. Sometimes I have a chicken that gets stuck outside and I just find where they’ve holed up for the night and put them in the coop. They always get into the roosting bars just fine without my help.
I think you have the same coop/run that I have. It's perfect for this kind of thing. My coop is right out side of a glass door next to my desk, so I can keep an eye on them when they are in or near the coop. I give mine a treat tossed in an exercise pen that is attached to the coop. This is an additional XPen made for dogs that I attached to the original coop/run. I toss them treats in the outer pen, and then close the pen's door to keep them from free-ranging. They will go inside the coop's run and head up the ramp sometime around dusk, and I close the pop door for the night. When it's really hot, I keep that pop door open for ventilation and just keep the metal attached run door closed and latched. I agree that it's very secure to keep the pop door open when it's hot outside overnight.
I do the same. The first time I had to be late I panicked the entire time I was gone. They were of course fine, all snuggled up and cozy all by themselves when I got back. It doesn’t happen often and I still get a twinge in my gut every time I have to be late but, they are more self sufficient than they seem. If your coop is secure they will be too!
