Do you actually need a chicken coop?

I can see why people raising chickens commercially need coops, but do those of us raising chickens for personal consumption actually need a coop?

This question comes from my observation of my family compound in Nigeria. I'm half Nigerian, born in the US, and I've gone to visit my family about once every decade since i was 2 years old. I've been fascinated by the chickens since my first visit (I don't remember the 2 year old visit, but there are pics of me chasing the chicks).

There are about 20 hens, dozens of chicks, and a rooster running free on the property every time I'm there. The whole compound is probably about 1/2 to 3/4 acre in a somewhat urban environment... more dense than US suburbs, less dense than a city (the compound is large for the area)

During the day the chickens are roaming in and out of the property, and at night they all come back to roost in the branches of a tree, and the rafters of the various buildings on the property.

There are various predators in the area, with hawks flying over multiple times per day, snakes, and probably others as well.  There is certainly some loss to predators, but every time I've visited over the last 40 years there are about the same number of chickens. Nobody seems to really do anything to care for the chickens, they just grab one when they want to cook it, although maybe they feet them some grain? I've never witnessed that, but it is possible.

I was recently remembering this, and it lead me to wonder if coops are needed at all? I had some friends here in the US on a 2 acre property that were raising about the same number of chickens in a coop. They had all kinds of problems with predators getting into the coop and killing the chickens, although they lived in a rural area so perhaps there is a higher population of predators, especially during the night. They were also amateurs, so probably didn't know how to keep the chickens safe.

I can see the need in an urban setting in the US, and the value of a coop for egg layers, being able to have a place that gives you easy access to the eggs, but for meat chickens in a rural area is it really necessary to go to all the cost and hassle of a coop or chicken tractor?

I've never raised chickens myself, but I'm hoping to do so at some point.

Hello, I observed the same thing in several countries from UK, Brazil, Hawaii, even Japan over the years.  I have duplicated that in a few chickens10 living in a tree right next to my house.  They roam 3-4 acres usually much closer to the house.  I live surrounded by a raptor reserve, Eagles, 4-5 species of hawks, 2 species of Falcons, even Great Horned Owls. Coyotes, American Lynx, Dogs, Raccoons and a few other ground predators.  Chickens survive because of 1 large English Game rooster 8 years old, and 1 dog 3 year old Akbash had another Akbash previously.   Chickens as all creatures live longer in a natural environment despite predation.  Types of chickens do matter but, they have an interest in their own survival and the older teach newer chickens, and turkeys.  As well a few well placed nest boxes near their home tree high enough for no ground predators they even lay eggs year round through winter.  
I have a chicken tractor which I raise chicks in till they are a year old going through my orchard.  
Birds are vital to soil fertility, and I plant certain trees etc based on where they congregate.  Hope this helps, cheers.

I used to let the chickens free range. We lost a couple to hawks but usually they were good at scurrying under trees when the harrier was overhead. I had to go to some lengths to improve the fencing around places I didn't want them to go...gardens and neighbours in particular. Then I excluded them from about half the paddocks because that was easier than trying to fence the orchards.

After a couple of years with chickens only roaming the south half of the property, I began to notice a marked difference in the pasture cover. The plant mix under chicken pressure was less diverse, more dominated by grasses, with fewer herbaceous plants. And the closer you got to the coop, the more denuded everything was. This observation, plus the ongoing problems with strays, led me to curtail their freedom and now they are once again coop-only birds with lots of cut and carry green matter. The pasture recovered and now I let them out once or twice a month for an afternoon ramble.

Some chickens are smarter than others when it comes to predators.  Saw a video a while back where a fellow was trying to breed survival skills back into laying hens by crossing them with game hens, if I recall correctly.

Welcome to Permies!

I think the answer to your question is that it depends on what you are wanting. Chickens obviously need places to hide and protection from predators. In your example you use the word compound... most of the compounds in Africa that I have seen, have walls. This is going to protect against dogs, wolves, weasels, large wild cats, and other things that would eat and take several or all the chickens in one night. Being in the somewhat city area will also discourage theses. And people coming and going on errands would also discourage these. The rooster also provides some protection. Hawks and snakes might take one at a time, but won't kill a whole flock in one night. In essence... the whole compound IS the coop. A barnyard from a long time ago might have done much of the same thing. For people who need this protection, a coop can help.

Another reason someone might want a coop is to train the chickens to lay eggs there. If there is no central place for them to lay... they will lay anywhere they can, which means it is much harder to know IF the chicken laid an egg or how old the egg you just found is. Even for people who are not doing it commercially... many people buy chicken food, and some want to make sure the chickens are earning their keep. A coop with nesting boxes, makes it easier to keep track.

I think there are many different ways to raise chickens. I think most of the time we need to provide food/water/shelter in order for the chickens to be productive. And the shelter part can look different depending on your goals and needs.

Welcome to Permies, Afam!

That's a great question, and I think it depends on the climate - in cold climates it's necessary for the chicken to have shelter from the elements.
But in the situation you're describing, a coop is not needed!

David, I'm interested in the nest boxes you describe. Do you have a photo, and/or a description? My chicken free range, and it would be nice to have them laying in external nest boxes instead of under bushes and plants.

One batch of new hatchlings roosted in the fruit trees when they were teenagers, instead of joining the other chicken in the coop - it's probably their natural instinct!

Welcome to the forum!

If you don't provide a coop what kind of shelter do you propose to provide?

I'm pro-coop for a variety of reasons. However, what works for me may not be the right solution for someone else.

A properly built coop provides security and safety for the flock. In the cold winters of New York, it helps prevent frostbite by providing a location out of crosswinds. My coop is built in a kind of way that I can easily access the hens when they are roosting so I can inspect their health periodically. It also, as mentioned in a previous comment, serves as a central location to collect eggs from which is convenient for me as I are more interested in eggs than meat from the birds themselves.

I live at the forests edge of a village so I have to balance having nearby neighbors as well as the predator pressure coming from the woods. I have a large enclosed run for the chickens unless I am on the site, then I pasture the chickens for some time each day. I recently posted a video of a fox who has started to patrol my property looking for an easy dinner I suppose.

Free-Range Survival Chickens by Florida Bullfrog talks about raising a flock of self-sufficient chickens without a coop in the Southern United States. The discussion of genetics and types of chickens in the book may be of interest to you.

In my area, predators would be the key factor.   I suspect a flock of 12 chickens would be gone in about 12 days.

Agreement among us all that certain situations require housing of  some sort.
Predation is my primary concern as John most emphatically says.  Losing a chicken or two is part of the game, yes.  But I must draw a line in the sand..... I have experienced wholesale chook massacres, only from skunks or raccoons.  Another critter notorious for that bloodlust is the weasel.  A fortified coop is essential when these marauders are on the prowl.  

A friend visited a Caribbean Island and I visited the Hawai'ian island, Kauai. Both of these had sustained populations of "feral" chickens. There would have been some sorts of predators on both islands - rats at the very least.

Factors would involve things such as one's goals. For example, if you want to be able to collect eggs, they tend to be easier to find if the birds are locked in until most of them have laid. Chickens can be *very* sneaky about hiding eggs.

If you've got a lot of humans coming and going, that will discourage a number of predators.

If you have relatively safe natural perches for safety at night.

If you don't mind having chicken shit everywhere...

If you have natural guardians around - dogs, geese etc. A friend's chickens lived with their horses and it seemed to work.

On both Islands, the birds were seen as important assets. The Caribbean Island had various signs and one stressed that they were important, organic, cheap, bug control and weren't to be harassed.

I've seen chickens raised without a coop near upstate NY. They would nest in the lower branches of a pine tree at night. The property was sheltered by trees and enough people were around to keep predators away. I think the only care they needed was a temporary coop and extra food in the winter.

I would say that it's the same like with humans. In pleasant climates a small house is sufficient and active persons will spend most of the time outside. My current coop is 1x1x0.7m (interior) box made of dry stacked large bricks with plywood roof that I remove to let the hens in for the night and out for the day. They have one roosting stick and they lay eggs in the same spot on the woodchip covered floor. I would never leave my hens outside for the night, because in the morning some would be missing. They roam free in the orchard, but are not allowed in the gardens. During hot days they hide in the shade of the trees. They always have water. I feed them scraps, but majority of their diet is free range plants and insects.
With this setup I managed to keep the same 8 hens for 3 years. Before - with a side entrance and flimsy door I was losing them to dogs, bobcats and who knows what else.

If you like to read, I think this book would be very informative and demonstrate differences in chicken keeping philosophies. The book would tend toward not having a coop or fenced chicken area. You can read some commentary by scrolling down the comments in the thread.

https://permies.com/t/265718/Free-Range-Survival-Chickens-Florida

Edit to say that I see Timothy Norton already mentioned the book.

In my situation, i need a coop
. So the eggs can be in one place and easy to gather
. So the eggs are harder to be stolen by predators
. So there is somewhere safe to lock them if we need to quarantine or have big trucks visit.
. So the rats can be locked out of the food and go away.
. Provide somewhere warm for them in winter
. Provide somewhere shady and good airflow to cool off in summer
. So they can survive the night.

We have had birds survive sleeping rough for upto three nights, but it unusual for any to survive past midnight the first night.  Chicken is too delicious to sooo many predators

Some predators here can make it through a half inch gap, so wire alone isn't enough.  

But also, we made the coop big enough for twice the most chickens we can ever have.  A 200 hen coop currently houses less than 50.  So it's not a hardship to be inside. About half the hens choose to spend more time in than foraging (lazy girls).  It's probably the only structure going to survive a big earthquake, so I keep it pleasant enough I can sleep in there during an emergency.


Different predator pressure and different climate have different needs.  Best starting place is to make friends with local farmers and see what they do.  Chickens don't read the internet and nor do most predators.  Local farmers will know better than we can help.

That^^^

Rico Loma wrote:Agreement among us all that certain situations require housing of  some sort.
Predation is my primary concern as John most emphatically says.  Losing a chicken or two is part of the game, yes.  But I must draw a line in the sand..... I have experienced wholesale chook massacres, only from skunks or raccoons.  Another critter notorious for that bloodlust is the weasel.  A fortified coop is essential when these marauders are on the prowl.  

Mustelids are the worst. I've been lucky so far, but not far from me someone has lost dozens of birds to what was probably a single stoat. They get in through small gaps and go on a killing rampage, hardly eating any and leaving behind ridiculous waste.

Thanks for the replies everybody, as well as the warm welcome! I'm very new here, so hopefully this followup works out OK.

I'll definitely be checking out the Free Range Survival Chickens book.

Overall it sounds like the answer is it really depends largely on what one's goals are, and the particular challenges of the area.

Meat chickens are probably easier for true free range since eggs can be hard to find. Also predator pressure is a big issue, and the type of predators in the area as well.

My family's compound is walled, although the chickens (and potential predators) can get in and out through small holes in the walls. I suspect the types of predators there are more likely to take a single chicken than kill an entire flock, although I suspect a coop is much more likely to be an issue there. The coop is generally good to keep predators out, but if one gets in, it makes it a killing field where the predator can get many of them, especially without a rooster. When the chickens are roosting in trees if one gets killed the rest will likely flee for safety.

The hawks will definitely get the occasional chick, but the chickens are pretty good at spotting the hawks and running for cover. I think the walls probably make a big difference, and there are a number of trees for them to roost in, and there are always people around. Being in a semi-urban environment probably means there are a lot less predators as well.

Another reason for a coop is cold weather, which isn't an issue in Nigeria as it is equatorial. But with long winters with sub zero temperatures I could certainly see a need for an enclosed space that can be heated to keep them alive.

Thanks again for all the helpful info!