The chick were getting too crowded in the small enclosure on the porch, so we hurried and made the run and put "chicken shelves" in an old metal shed we got off of craigs list. ( What a warped peice of crap that was when we started, lol) We haven't added the window yet and I thought it was too dark for them to be in it all the time.
PUT IN THE WINDOW They like light and can't see in the dark. You want the coop to still have some light in it as the sun starts to go down or they WON"T go in at night, it will be darker in the coop than outside. Once it is dark enough outside that they really want to go in, they won't be able to see in the coop to get to the roosts unless you have windows or electric lights. We have that problem with the coop being in an old barn, set back 10 feet from the west wall. Still plenty light outside the barn, why go in? You can't have too much light in the coop.
And since it isn't obvious from the picture, do you have proper ventilation?? Check the coop section of BYC. Non drafty ventilation is MASSIVELY important. Way more important than heat - which you will NOT need in Florida next winter for your grown birds. They can keep themselves warm but they can't clear the ammonia from their poop out of the air. Your 10x12 is adequate for 22 birds but not if it isn't ventilated.
So, we put them in the coop and the next day opened their little door. They go in and out, from coop to run and back all day. we close the door to the coop about half an hour after sunset and they are all inside when we do this. Except for one evening when two go left out and we went out to find them crying the next morning.
You have to count - harder with more birds, especially if they are mostly the same breed. If you can't find them all when you count, look under other chickens. We had that happen once counting from both the front and side. 1,2,3,4 ... 11. 1,2,3,4,.....11. I finally went in the coop and found one chicken had two heads, one high and one low. 12, good night girls.
I guess if you have too many to count, you just hope they all make it in. If not, maybe they'll remember to follow the crowd the next night.
How long should we keep them only in the run and coop before letting them into the yard?. How old should they be?
You can let them out in the yard, and probably want to or you'll have nothing but dirt and mud in the run because they will eat the grass and scratch up all the ground doing what chickens do - scratching and looking for food. They have simple lives Start by letting them out while you are there watching. If they are like mine, they won't go far from the coop and run at first because that is where they feel safe. I made an 18' x 18' outside run (uncovered, just 4' chicken wire on cheap T posts) and gave them access to that, then let them out daily for a while as we watched. Then when we opened the coop, we also opened the door to the run and they went in and out on their own whether we were there or not. Maybe it is BECAUSE we let them "taste the apple", they started to fly the fence on their own at some point. So now we just open the barn door and they come and go as they please while we are home. They can fly into the outside run if they like I've never seen one more than maybe 100' from a building.
That said:
1) Just because we are home doesn't mean we are outside. So if a hawk or dog or fox came by, the chickens aren't safe.
2) They were hatched in June so by the time they were big enough to be brave, it was getting colder and starting to snow so they didn't have a great desire to roam anyway. Not sure how far they may want to travel as Spring comes.
Do we wait until they start laying eggs so the girls will understand where they are supposed to lay the eggs, like not under the bushes. lol.
Don't wait. The chickens will be happier and healthier if they get to wander around and eat greens and bugs.
Get the nest boxes ready early, but if they start sleeping in them (make sure they are LOWER than the roosts), cover them until the girls are getting ready to lay. You will know when this is. Their combs will start to grow and get RED. They will start to squat (they flatten out like a pancake when you put your hand over them) and if like mine, they will start being more social with you. I attribute it to them starting to feel "weird" and looking for "support" from the "head chicken". If you then see them poking around in darker places where they have not before, put them in the nest and let them check it out - they may do this on their own if the nests aren't covered. You can also put fake eggs in the boxes at that time. Some use golf balls, some use wooden eggs made for this purpose. I have a yellow and purple plastic egg with a rock inside. They somehow "know" that they want to lay where another "chicken" has decided it is safe to lay.
We are fenced in on 3 sides with wood and aluminum in front. I think the chicks will get big enough not to slip through the front fence, hopefully.
Chickens can clear a pretty tall fence - 4' is not a barrier to most chickens. However, if it is high enough to keep them in (6' probably effective for MOST chicken breeds) but has vertical gaps like the fence in the picture, even a 1' piece of chicken wire will keep them in. They don't climb..
I know we have racoons and opossums and plenty of hawks. We moved into this property 18 months ago. I am told there are fox also in the area and my hubby saw otters in the canal across the road.
Fox - problem.
Otter - not likely a problem, at least not with grown birds. My wife saw an otter on the bank of our small pond behind the barn this week. The "girls" were out behind the barn as well. The otter paid them no attention and they didn't seem to be concerned about it. More than likely, though it was the first time my wife had seen the otter, the animals were probably already "acquainted". Besides, if your yard is fenced, the otter won't be in it anyway.
Possums - not likely a problem for ADULT Large Fowl, problem for eggs and chicks
Also watch for weasels. They are SMALL, can get through SMALL holes, climb really well and will kill your chickens while they sleep - thus the need for "Fort Knox" at night.
Most all of the other houses have fences for their dogs.
MOST? If ANY of the neighbors' dogs can get into your fenced area, your chickens are in danger.
Can a hawk carry away a full grown chicken?
Yes, depending on the size of the hawk and the chicken.
