Roosting issues - need advice! I got stubborn ladies that are gonna be an owl snack :(

Date sort Score sort
Bryant Redhawk said:
First thing I would do is get their roost inside where they can look out that window while on the roost. Might be good to have two bars for the roost (you should be able to utilize parts of that fallen tree for that). Next thing to do is get rid of the tree that fell, while it seems like a good idea to leave it, all you are really doing is telling them it is ok to roost there, and you sound like it isn't, that means it has to go.

The fence roosting is a problem, you need to make it uncomfortable for them to roost there. Chickens like a stable roost so fix the barbed wire so they will constantly wobble around if they try to roost there. That is the easy fix. The hard fix is to raise the fence height to over 8 feet. A chicken can make incredible jumps, some can jump 7 feet straight up, this makes it hard to keep them off unless you have the top of the fence higher than they can jump. Combine that with a wobbly feature and the girls will most likely find a different, more stable place to roost. That will be in the coop since you removed the fallen tree prior to raising and wobbling the fence top.

By the way, predators also hate wobbly fences, so they probably won't try to climb over more than a few times either.
Click to expand...
Thank you!!! We will try to remove the fallen tree ASAP. And I will also try to floppify the fence some more!! Where they roost is where the barbed wire meets the chicken wire, and i think that gives them more stability. I shall remedy that!! Thank you for the suggestions!!
 
Right on $$$ meal worms! I'm going to start raising too! I envy those that have deep litter and bugs or grass or weeds! I'm stuck in the desert for a couple more years. I literally have to buy bugs! We have ants. Just ants. There's some great threads on BYC for raising meal worms.
 
Mutt Farm said:
Right on $$$ meal worms! I'm going to start raising too! I envy those that have deep litter and bugs or grass or weeds! I'm stuck in the desert for a couple more years. I literally have to buy bugs! We have ants. Just ants. There's some great threads on BYC for raising meal worms.
Click to expand...
That may have been where I was reading about it.... I read so much stuff I often forget where it was I saw it. Basically the guy had a self sustaining colony in an aquarium and he would just toss table scraps in every once in a while. I have plenty of aquariums with the mesh lids, so essentially all I would need to buy would be the worms and they would do the rest! My pasture is nothing but a bunch of trees, so it really sucks for a horse or cows, but for the chickens, I think it is perfect because they love foraging in the decaying crap no one else will eat lol!


I finally managed to lure everyone into the chicken coop yesterday afternoon and secured them in for the long haul, until sunday. Moved their nesting boxes inside, and went out last night and they were all perched on their big limb. I adjusted the fan so they have a bit of a breeze on them. Put them some alfalfa cubes soaked in water... some table scraps... and plenty of layer pellets. Hopefully they will get the idea!! Thank you to everyone for all the help! I appreciate it!
 
Just wanted to update yall... I think that the problem has been solved!! Last night everyone, with the exception of my banty hen and rooster, went in to roost in the hen house all on their own!! I also added a few more perches which they LOVE! I stood by the old tree out in the chicken yard until the banties had decided they would go inside too. Haven't gotten around to removing the old tree yet. I even set them up a light on a timer, it goes off shortly after it starts getting dark... seemed to draw them in, because they could see inside but not outside. They grabbed a midnight snack since I brought them some table scraps, then they all settled in for the night! Awesome!! Thanks for all the help and suggestions yall! I greatly appreciate it!! Problem solved!!
 
celebrate.gif
wee.gif
highfive.gif
That's great news! good idea for the light!
 

Similar threads

K
Will it be ok to block the rafters off in my coop with chicken wire?
2
Replies
11
Views
344
StinkyAcres
StinkyAcres
S
Coop question…. Will this work?
Replies
6
Views
448
rosemarythyme
rosemarythyme
Witchychickens
Roosts, pop door, laying boxes
2
Replies
17
Views
347
Witchychickens
Witchychickens
C
Advice for building roost in run.
Replies
3
Views
259
Penpal
P
M
Roost question -placement
2
Replies
18
Views
3K
nuthatched
nuthatched

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom