I guess what I was trying to say there was pretty much there's nothing actually natural about keeping chickens. We selectively bred them so far away from whatever their wild origins were there really is no genuine natural way of keeping them. Whatever keeps a particular flock happy and healthy and producing well is what that person should continue to do. For me, my birds have an enclosed draft free raised coop and a lower area, also enclosed in plastic with roosts but the front open. An enclosed run and an open yard to choose from. They have a bowl of FF in the morning (well, 2 actually) and a compost pile to play in now. In warmer weather they've got grass random weeds and my flower gardens to choose from as well. They have all of these options open to them all day long, weather permitting, and can come and go freely and do what feels right to them. I try not to coop them up or force them out of their shelter but let them choose what they want do trusting their instincts to guide them.
If somebody else's birds thrive better for them being fully enclosed with strictly monitored feedings, lights on timers, etc. then that's what's for them. It's all dependent on what your situation is, what your resources are and how much time and thinking power you have or are willing to put towards your birds' well being. I see people around throwing out all kinds of numbers and calculating their birds' nutrition down to the calorie, fat gram, and protein gram. If I tried to do that, my brain would liquify and start dribbling out my ears. DX But if it works for them, more power to them. Everybody's got a different approach to keeping chickens I'm discovering. And what works for one may not work exactly for someone else. All we can do is look around, absorb what we can and see what works for us.
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