Dorking Hens won't roost inside!

[katiemdenne]

Hi All!!
I'm new to raising chickens. I am just at the point where I've separated my extra roosters away from the hens. In doing so, in the pitch black, I realized that my 4 dorking hens are not roosting in the coop with the 20+ australorp chickens, they are instead roosting about 8 feet high outside in thick cedar trees!! All the hens should start laying soon and winter is coming. Why are my dorkings roosting outside and how do I change their behavior before the cold of winter? Do I have too? I live on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada.
Thanks, Katie

 

[sumi]

A few of my chickens also liked to roost outside in the trees. I left them there until one got taken by a predator, after which we climbed up a ladder and pulled them out of the tree in the evenings and put them in the coop. After a few days of this they thankfully got tired of it and went into the coop themselves.