Does the Chicken house need a roof?

[yinzerchick]

Hi, and welcome to BYC! I think a roof is a must, if you want to keep your chickens longer that a week or two. Also, I have a 6ft. high fence all the way around my run, and a couple of the hens can fly out with no problem, and they're considered heavy breeds. I think your chickens will be happier with a roof over them, especially in one of those downpours!

 

[Weiden Farm]

not a house without a roof

 

[Nonny]

Something no one else has mentioned yet - if you don't have a bird proof run you'll lose a good percentage of your (expensive!) feed to the wild bird population and also risk introducing mites, viruses etc to your chickens from the wild birds as well.

 

[atomic_chicken]

Quote:
I agree with Nonny. A flock of sparrows around here can eat a bag of wild bird seed in an afternoon(25lb bag). The lice and mites are also a big concern for your flock. At bare minimum you could cover your run with 1 inch chicken wire?

 

[MallorcaMan]

Thank you everyone for all the great advice! Revising my plans accordingly. xx

 

[chiplantz747]

Hey guys, I have a chicken run For 3 2 1/2 month old chickens, an I just use a old cooler with a blanket in it as the chicken house? They don't lay eggs yet. And it is 60-80 degrees on average, at night it hits 50. Will they be warm enough with out. Real chicken coop?
This is until we build our giant chicken coop next week.