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.

Welcome to Permies! I'm sure some good answers will be coming your way.

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.