North Florida chicken help

[GoldmanAcres]

We are new to North Florida, and are getting ready to start our coop within the next week or so. With all of the high heat in the area, I am wondering what is best to feed our girls in the heat of the summer. I will be starting with a coop of about ten but hope to be closer to thirty by the end of September. We have ten plus acres, but due to being VERY rural we are doing a huge coop with one feet imbedded covered footings with a 12 x 12 to 12x14 foot fully enclosed run. We have lots of owls, hawks, snakes, racoons and a neighbor dog that has a past history of chicken raids. We plan to put everyone to bed in the coop section at night. We have located the coop close to the house and have several hunting dogs in training (pups) that let us know when there is something in the area. I am hoping that this helps eliminate the late night raids I have heard about. In addition we will be adding a couple of grower hogs in a different area of the farm this fall. Possibly a few sheep and a calf will be added to the mix as well. I started my compost shortly after the move, but located that in a corner of the back three acres. Any ideas, helpful tips or knowledge would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

A complete chicken feed. It doesn't matter time of year. Chickens require a broad range of vitamins, minerals, fats, energy and essential amino acids. All complete feeds provide those needs.
The bag of feed will have feeding instructions on it based on the age/type of birds it was intended to feed.
Each manufacturer has their own formula and they alone know what is in it. Follow their instructions.

I like to have the compost bins close to where they are required. On my property that is by the chicken coops and garden.
Well maintained they never smell. That means turned frequently and kept with the proper amount of moisture. Too dry and they don't cook. Too wet, the aerobic bacteria dies and is replaced by anaerobic bacteria causing smells.

 

[Intheswamp]

A 12x14 run will snugly handle around 16 large fowl at 10 feet per bird.

As ChickenCanoe said, a complete feed is best. You can feed either a layer feed or a flock raiser feed. If the latter then offer oyster shell free choice for the hens...calcium isn't good for roosters and they rooster will ignore it free choice but will have to eat it if included in the feed. In the heat of the summer I wouldn't feed scratch corn...good to use in the winter, though.

Good, strong, well-grounded electric fences offer adds another layer of good protection to your security.

Best wishes,
Ed