Chickens roosting in tree

[Pippy]

We recently let our chickens out to free range. Everything has been going well, they go back home at night to sleep. However, one day we were gone till dark and came back to find them roosting 10-15 ft up in the tree above their coop. I let them stay there since it was dark and they were already asleep. That got me to thinking, I wonder if they are safer up in the tree at night? We do have have hawks and owls but they are much smaller than my Easter Eggers (the hawks are half the size of the chickens). Foxes couldn't get them up in the trees. We do have raccoons but if a raccoon tried to grab a chicken it could get away being up in a tree rather than in a coop where it doesn't have anywhere to go.

Thoughts?

 

[OakHillFarm]

we also have easter eggers that are abit bigger then the hawks but recently we had one die because a hawk just killed it a sat there and feasted I've heard that if you get a fake owl then the hawks might back of knowing that the area was probably the owls territory but I dont think that if its at night then the hawk will try and take them good luck

 

[OakHillFarm]

sorry I forgot to say that

 

[Folly's place]

Your birds might have been afraid of a critter in their coop that night. They are much more at risk up in the trees; you must get them back in the coop at night. If there's a problem with your coop, fix it. Is it too small, or smelly, or mite infested, or too warm, or whatever? Look forward to fun times with a flashlight and a fishnet in the moonlight... Mary

 

[Pippy]

Yeah it's too small. I'm building another one but it'll be at least a week till it's finished. We usually lock them in at night but I think since we weren't there they decided the tree right above their coop looked like a great place to roost. I moved their coop under the tree for the shade, it's still pretty hot here in Va.