Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[galanie]

Not an Old Timer in chicken years but definitely an Old Timer in hot climate living years. I'm firmly convinced that in a hot climate such as south Texas and Florida, they only really need shelter from the rain and from north winds during those times that it does get a bit cold. Your half roof run is likely all they'll ever need so long as they can get out of the wind if need be.

ETA: A coop can be a hotbox and a danger here in hot weather. I think shade and water is more important than any coop might be.

 

[Beekissed]

So much for drafts vs. ventilation, huh?

I don't like hunting for eggs either, so I do much like you did as a youth, Walt. I find one or two nest of theirs outside that are out of reach of the dogs and comfortable for egg collection and I let them continue to lay there. If it gets out of hand and they keep trying to lay everywhere else outside, then I retrain to the coop nests. Some birds just wanna lay outside and that's alright with me as long as I can reach the nest and it's only one or two nests.

 

[Beekissed]

I think a person gets what they put into their management. If they pamper a bird, they will have fragile birds. If they let the toughest survive, they will have tough birds that are hardy in all climes. Animals are more adaptable than we ever imagine.

If I lived in a hot climate, I'd provide nest boxes and feeding area in a two or three-sided coop with enough wire structuring with which to lock them up when I needed to do so. I haven't had a run for years and don't really feel it's needed if you have a roomy coop..but in the absence of a coop, at least some way to confine the flock when needed. It comes in handy in all kinds of situations.

 

[galanie]

I think a person gets what they put into their management.  If they pamper a bird, they will have fragile birds.  If they let the toughest survive, they will have tough birds that are hardy in all climes.  Animals are more adaptable than we ever imagine.

If I lived in a hot climate, I'd provide nest boxes and feeding area in a two or three-sided coop with enough wire structuring with which to lock them up when I needed to do so.  I haven't had a run for years and don't really feel it's needed if you have a roomy coop..but in the absence of a coop, at least some way to confine the flock when needed.  It comes in handy in all kinds of situations. 

 

You're exactly right. I have a three sided coop and though there are large windows in the east and west walls, I'm going to be stripping siding off the east wall and covering with hardware cloth. There is some ventilation in the north wall that can be closed off but there's still not enough air moving in there at night even with the entire front open (and covered with wire).

I guess what I'm saying is that 2 sides are better than 3, so long as one of the walls is to the north

 

[stonykill]

Nope, a coop is not necessary. You would not believe how many people just let their chickens roam up here in the mountains. My sister~I won't go into her horrible farming practices~kept chickens last winter that slept each night amongst the crap piled on her back porch, laid eggs under the house and were fed on the ground out back of the house. They reproduced, survived, laid eggs like crazy and are still going strong to this day. Where she lives is extremely windy and cold in the winter. Didn't lose one bird.

I'd say, if you want to keep them safe from preds, have a few good outside dogs~as in, put those pampered dogs to work earning their keep!~

that roam all night or lock them up in a run of some kind each night. I can't imagine anyone needing a full coop in Florida.

many of my Sumatra's live outdoors all year round in tree's. Their choice, not mine. Plenty of coops to go around. Some birds are lost to predators. it is a fact of life with uncooped birds. I set 3 box traps nightly. Catch a lot of predators. I kill them in the morning so they can never reproduce or return.
Now ...sure I lose a few birds a year. BUT the survivors produce smarter more cunning offspring. Our winters can be as cold as 20 below zero, can be a lot of snow, sleet etc. If my Sumatra's can live outdoors in Upstate Ny, chickens can live in Fla without a coop. Aren't their wild chickens that are protected in Fla? Wild birds don't have coops.

 

[stonykill]

So much for drafts vs. ventilation, huh?

I don't like hunting for eggs either, so I do much like you did as a youth, Walt. I find one or two nest of theirs outside that are out of reach of the dogs and comfortable for egg collection and I let them continue to lay there. If it gets out of hand and they keep trying to lay everywhere else outside, then I retrain to the coop nests. Some birds just wanna lay outside and that's alright with me as long as I can reach the nest and it's only one or two nests.

yeah, the no draft/ ventilation debate always makes me laugh. Some of my birds living in tree's, covered in freezing rain, icicles on them, 40 mph winds....no biggie. They fly down out of their tree, preen, and forage. So the whole "chickens will die if they are in a draft" thing is a bunch of chicken poop as far as I am concerned.
And NO newbies I don't hate my chickens, I'm NOT a bad keeper of chickens. I have NEVER lost a chicken to the elements. Never once. This part of the flock is ferrel, and is better suited for survival that people. They lay a lot of eggs, self propogate their own flock through many broody's and mainly feed themselves. Extra roosters are the best chicken you have ever tasted.

 

[SunnyAlberta]

Thank you to the experienced folks!

For us Canucks that get cold snaps of -30? What are your thoughts on pampering? Also, if we want to add light so we may continue to feed our families, what type of light do you recommend? LEDs are quite safe but will they do the job?

 

[Nancygardens]

I love this thread! Thanks every one for sharing!

I'm reading and sipping my coffee learning some thing each day and I got through the posts!
When I was a kid my dad build a giant feeder out of plywood that held two #50 sacks of chicken feed it looked
like a giant rabbit feeder.

 

[fowlman01]

Here the birds can get up into trees at night. If I see them high in the redwoods I know that a predator is around. That is not an issue with my electric fence on though. During rain I have noticed that they will stand more vertical the harder the rain pours and if it is really storming they will be almost straight up and down or will seek shelter of some kind. Chickens are survivors if you leave them alone. They don't need a formal coop, but sometimes need a place to get out of the weather. It doesn't snow here.

Walt

 

[stonykill]

Here the birds can get up into trees at night. If I see them high in the redwoods I know that a predator is around. That is not an issue with my electric fence on though. During rain I have noticed that they will stand more vertical the harder the rain pours and if it is really storming they will be almost straight up and down or will seek shelter of some kind. Chickens are survivors if you leave them alone. They don't need a formal coop, but sometimes need a place to get out of the weather. It doesn't snow here.

Walt

good point about getting out of the weather. Mine have plenty of places they get out from under the rain and snow while out during the day. Their favorite gathering place is a huge spruce tree. Never any snow under it