Chicken roosts in tree

[Isaac 0]

Hello, and welcome to the BYC community.

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC. Until she feels comfortable in the coop I would remove the 'bully' hen to a separate pen. While roosting in the tree she is vulnerable to attack - especially by a GHO.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Welcome to our FUN-omenal Flock!

Pull up a roost & enjoy your time here!

 

[chrissynemetz]

Hi and a belated welcome!
I agree with Sour, I would separate the bully and see if it helps.

 

[NatJ]

The big issue is how to get Dolly out of the pear tree at night. The temperatures are start starting to drop to below freezing.

I wouldn't be concerned about the temperature. (Look at how many wild birds sleep outside in all weather.)

But I would worry about a predator getting her.

Usually, I would say to just make sure she goes into the coop in the evening before roosting time, and shut her (and the others) in. But depending on how mean the bully is, that may not be a good choice here.

How big is the coop?

Can you arrange to have two or three roosts, so the bully can sleep on one and not be able to reach birds on the other one?

Is there any way to divide the coop, or have a second coop?

A few possibilities for actually getting her out of the tree:
--if she's low enough to reach, just grab her after dark and put her in the coop for the night.
--if she's too high to reach, go out while it's still light, take a long stick, and gently push/herd her off her branch. Keep bugging her until she finally flies out of the tree. (Doesn't work after dark, because she won't want to fly when she cannot see.)

 

[WallyG74]

Are you super attached to this pear tree? I just got done cutting a tree down to benefit my flock. That’s not an option for everyone but it’s worth a thought.

 

[drumstick diva]

I like Wally's suggestion. And as Sourland points out a GHO may be dining on her if she stays in the tree.

 

[Fuchsia]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined us!

 

[Vickischics]

It looks like you have been a member of BYC since May 14, 2006!!! That is a LONG time.
I see you are already receiving suggestions regarding your chickens in a tree.
In the future, you may have better luck with responses with different issues in a different section than this one that is for "New Member Introduction".

Welcome back to BYC! we are EGG-cited you decided to become active again in BYC.
We have members from around the globe so. It is very helpful if you list your location in the your profile because when issues or concerns pop up, like this current one, people can better help you when your in need.
For an example, look at the bottom of someone's avatar picture name and you will see where they listed their general geographical location. This is the information location that I reference.
We hope you enjoy BYC as much as we do!

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

Welcome to BYC! I hope you can solve your chicken-in-a-pear-tree problem. Chickens can be silly!