CHICKENS ESCAPED AND SLEEPING IN TREE!!

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ben0125

ben0125

Songster
Oct 7, 2017
325
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New Zealand, Auckland
My Coop
My Coop
5 days ago we got some hens, We only let them out this morning and they didnt escape or even try during the day, (to busy dust bathing and looking for worms!). But I went to go shut the door for the coop at dark but I couldnt find them anywhere! The whole family came out searching with torches looking everywhere. But then we looked up a tall tree and they are at the very top sleeping. But the only animals that could possibly kill them would be a wild cat, a possum or maybe a hawk??? I dont really know. We are inside now and they are still up the tree. Do I need to do anything? Will they lay in the nest box's? will they go back in the fence?

Any help would be great, thanks!
 
If it's only been five days since you got them, they probably haven't settled into their new coop as "home" yet... they stayed around the yard in the day but they went to roost in to the trees because they don't know their coop is their home yet.

Whenever we move ours to a new spot, we keep them locked in their new home for at least a week, sometimes a couple weeks. Then they will go out during the day and back into the coop at night.

As far as for if to leave them in the tree for right now, if they are sleeping there and you feel pretty confident nothing will try to disturb them, leave them till morning unless you can get them easily. How old are they? If they have a rooster in with them and they are mature, I would be more likely to leave them there until the morning. They are meant to survive in the wild, so I think as long as you know where they are you should leave them. You've got to make that decision though.

Something you could try to do, which is what we started off with, is after their lock up period, let them out like only an hour or two before nighttime. This way, they won't go too far, and they will be more likely to go to their coop once it's dark. Then gradually work up the time they are allowed out, and they won't run off. :)

As far as the nesting boxes go, they are sort of like the coop. If they've been laying in them for a while, they will be more likely to keep laying in there. So I recommend you keep them in their pen for at least a week, maybe more before letting them out again.

I hope this helps!
 
Yes I'd leave them locked up for a little longer, they build up a map of their surroundings. there's no guarantee they'll lay in the nest boxes whether they've been locked in the coop and run or not, but if it becomes a problem then you can keep them locked up for half the day and let the free range late afternoon and evening
 
My girls did this when I let them free range and they'd make random nests everywhere and by the time I'd find them there'd be 15 eggs and broody hen in a bush. I'm not sure about American predators but from what I know I'd put the hens back in their coop
 
Arya28 said:
If it's only been five days since you got them, they probably haven't settled into their new coop as "home" yet... they stayed around the yard in the day but they went to roost in to the trees because they don't know their coop is their home yet.

Whenever we move ours to a new spot, we keep them locked in their new home for at least a week, sometimes a couple weeks. Then they will go out during the day and back into the coop at night.

As far as for if to leave them in the tree for right now, if they are sleeping there and you feel pretty confident nothing will try to disturb them, leave them till morning unless you can get them easily. How old are they? If they have a rooster in with them and they are mature, I would be more likely to leave them there until the morning. They are meant to survive in the wild, so I think as long as you know where they are you should leave them. You've got to make that decision though.

Something you could try to do, which is what we started off with, is after their lock up period, let them out like only an hour or two before nighttime. This way, they won't go too far, and they will be more likely to go to their coop once it's dark. Then gradually work up the time they are allowed out, and they won't run off. :)

As far as the nesting boxes go, they are sort of like the coop. If they've been laying in them for a while, they will be more likely to keep laying in there. So I recommend you keep them in their pen for at least a week, maybe more before letting them out again.

I hope this helps!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the suggestion, I have lost them. We tried getting them down in the morning and they flew off and are far into the bushes. I've put some more food in the run so hopefully they come back and I can chase them into the coop. And if I try to pick them up they will go crazy
 
Chickassan said:
If you don't have a rooster you can play rooster sounds to try and lure them back. Every goofy wild hen I've ever had would come to see if there was a premise of a man bird being around. I had an old crippled up rooster named cheese just for that purpose when I had game hens.;)
Click to expand...

This is a very ingenious idea! Thank you for posting. My hens have not yet run away (but it could happen) so I'll remember this trick. I checked on YouTube and there are many videos with sound entitled "Rooster calling hens". Perhaps the OP could use one of these, turned up loud, to lure his girls back.
 

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