Are all chickens wild and unruly or am I terrible at this? Won’t use coop! Jumping fence! Etc.

[amberchickens]

First year keeping chickens. They’re cooped at night and free range in a penned section of my yard during the day.

My chickens were lovely the first month they were in the coop, put themselves to bed every night, until one day I accidentally shut all the coop doors and the rooster we ended up with by accident led them up a tree for the night before I could round them up.

Since then, I’ve tried confining them to the coop anywhere from 3-7 days to break their tree habit. Each time I let them back out, they go straight up the tree before it even gets dark in the evening.

I suspected my rooster was the evil mastermind and he attacked two of my ducks, so he took a trip to the butcher and is in my freezer now. Let the hens out the day after…back up the tree. I have them confined again, except for one particularly quick and smart hen who I cannot catch or lure no matter what I do.

And the hens jump my fence any chance they get. I clipped their wings once but I’d never done it before and was conservative about how much I clipped. I need to keep the feathers shorter next time. Besides clipping their wings, is there anything I can do to discourage that behavior?

Are all chickens this crazy or am I terrible at this?!

I’m tempted to truly free range them, but I know eventually the owls or raccoons are going to realize they’re here and I also don’t love the idea of egg hunting every day now that they’re starting to lay.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Are all chickens this crazy or am I terrible at this?!

Yes, all chickens are this crazy to our perception, but it's perfectly normal behavior. The trick is understanding WHY they do what they do, so we humans can take steps to make them do what WE want them to do.

But we need more information.
Can you post pictures of their coop and the tree?
Where are you in the world? Climate might be a part of the equation.
What breeds of chickens do you have, and how old are they?

 

[MysteryChicken]

What breeds are yours?

Chickens can be crazy. I had a rooster that decided it was a good idea to pick on me. He'd randomly peck me, arm, back, or leg(He did it for attention). The hens decided, good idea, to peck at their keeper. Ever since then I had a few hens that have a habit of pecking me. The rest have stopped, except for one hen.

 

[amberchickens]

What breeds are yours?

Chickens can be crazy. I had a rooster that decided it was a good idea to pick on me. He'd randomly peck me, arm, back, or leg(He did it for attention). The hens decided, good idea, to peck at their keeper. Ever since then I had a few hens that have a habit of pecking me. The rest have stopped, except for one hen.

I have a mix…austrolorps, an Orpington, a red star, a couple olive eggers.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I have a mix…austrolorps, an Orpington, a red star, a couple olive eggers.

Heavy breeds. How old are they?

 

[3KillerBs]

Heavy breeds. How old are they?

Just what I was wondering.

I find that POL pullets are just crazy -- flying out and getting everywhere. Though my rooster keeps them in better order than I ever could.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Just what I was wondering.

I find that POL pullets are just crazy -- flying out and getting everywhere. Though my rooster keeps them in better order than I ever could.

My roosters are good at keeping the ladies in order too.

 

[amberchickens]

My roosters are good at keeping the ladies in order too.

They’re about 20 weeks old. The rooster had to make a trip to the butcher, unfortunately, because he was getting nasty with the ducks. As far as we know, all the ducks are female so I don’t think they were going after the chickens.

 

[3KillerBs]

They’re about 20 weeks old. The rooster had to make a trip to the butcher, unfortunately, because he was getting nasty with the ducks. As far as we know, all the ducks are female so I don’t think they were going after the chickens.

A teenage cockerel isn't the same as a mature flockmaster.

If you want a male get some chicks next spring and let the adult hens teach the boys proper chicken manners. I raised several and chose the gentleman in my avatar as best in all categories.

 

[MysteryChicken]

They’re about 20 weeks old. The rooster had to make a trip to the butcher, unfortunately, because he was getting nasty with the ducks. As far as we know, all the ducks are female so I don’t think they were going after the chickens.

A cockerel is more likely to misbehave, then an actual mature rooster. It's the hormones making them wacky. I have a Silkie cockerel who's hormones are starting to rage, & he's being nippy.

But if their behavior escalates far into maturity, then it's probably the result of human aggression in the genetics.