I currently have 20 hens and 2 roosters. I've recently added 12 chicks of different ages and random sex, to the "adult" living quarters. I have 11 baby chicks that were hatched the first week of June, 9 are guaranteed pullets. Anyways, I live in the far northeast corner of Florida. It rarely gets below 20 for more than a few hours (minus the "polar vortex" of 2014). At the moment, I have a coop that is closed on 3 1/2 sides. I have a 4' section on the front wall with no siding (human and chicken doorway). On my old coop, the whole front was open and the floor was just hardware cloth, we'd secure a tarp from the bottom of the back wall and wrapped it under and up to the top of the front, to keep the cold winds out. It worked very well, and that same tarp will cover the doorway with. But seeing all of these amazing coops I've noticed that most of them have 4 solid walls. My question is, is that necessary if the weather doesn't get below freezing but maybe 20 days a year AT MOST. I may need some ideas for a coop that's suitable for 50 chickens, but they're never cooped up during the day. We close the tarp at night when they go to roost and open it up first thing in the morning. They're all different sizes from itty bitty bantams to full size giant Cochins. They have plenty of room in the small 4'x8' coop they're currently in, but I still have some growing and 11 that's not even in there yet. If anybody has any pics or even building plans or ideas for something that works for 50 adult chickens that free range everyday. Thanks in advance.
