Chicken in the tree

[Dfarago]

My chickens are free range with a coop they get locked into at night for protection. Last night only two out of three came back. Thought maybe a predator got her. Came out in the morning and she was hanging out like nothing happened.

we come out this evening to lock them up again and only two were in there. Looked everywhere, under everything. Eventually find her in one of our trees. We built a little walkway so they can walk from the tree to the top of the coop.

is this normal behavior or is there something wrong I should know about? It’s worth noting that a day before she first went missing a chicken died of an unknown cause. Does she maybe think the pen isn’t safe anymore? Is she safe in the tree overnight? We have owls in the area.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

How old? And how big is your coop?

 

[Dfarago]

How old? And how big is your coop?

The chicken is about five or six months old. The coop is a 20x8 wide 6 ft tall pen. There’s a box in there to go under with a tote inside.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Your birds are probably sexually maturing at that age. Oftentimes the pecking order becomes more important at that age. Oftentimes a bottom hen decides to roost elsewhere. Sometimes it's a dominant bird.

When one bird goes, the pecking order needs to be decided again. So it's possible there's some posturing that's making her stay away.

Leaving her out is risky. She's only safe until something finds her. If possible I would round her up every night until she's going in again.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Two thoughts: 1. by making a walkway for her from the coop to the tree, you may also be making it easier for predators to follow her. 2. Perhaps if you go out and offer a small handful of scratch, calling the chickens to you, you can get her to come into the coop at dusk with the others, where you can lock them all in safely, before she goes up in the tree. Good luck!

 

[Dfarago]

Thank you for the replies and advice.

 

[aart]

We built a little walkway so they can walk from the tree to the top of the coop.

Open invitation to roost in tree......take that thing down.

The coop is a 20x8 wide 6 ft tall pen. There’s a box in there to go under with a tote inside.

Pics please?
Is the 'box' big enough to shelter 3 birds?

 

[sorce]

Further...

AND well ventilated?

Sorce