Flock has moved to the trees! How do I get them back to the coop?

[aarmstro99]

We had 4 buffs and this year got a new flock of barred rocks--2 roos and 7 hens. We have had a couple of bad days on the farm (not sure what happened exactly...still piecing it all together) and we are now down to just 4 barred rock hens and 1 rooster. Before all the drama and deaths, the roos divided up and one went with the buffs and the other with barred rocks. The buffs did not care for the newcomers and so they stayed in the coop with the one roo at night and the other hens took to the trees to avoid the buffs (i'm assuming here...). Hubby and I have shaken them out of the trees and shooed them to the coop a couple of times but they just won't stay there! Every night they go right back to the trees. I'm thinking they'd stay better now that the buffs aren't in there but we haven't tried since the latest tragedy when we lost the last of the buffs.

Does anyone have any suggestions of how to get them to leave the trees and stay in the safe coop?

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

You will have to lock them in the coop for several days, and make the tree inaccesible to them. You may have owls, and they will start on them, taking them right out of the trees. I don't know how large your coop is, but if they can all settle in together and get along it would be best...sooner rather than later.

 

[jackhorn01]

I would try putting the perpetrator in a jail cell lol, ( dog cage ) or something for a few days and then try releasing it back into the coop. Maybe things will settle down during its isolation and it can be reintroduced without fighting.

 

[aarmstro99]

Thank you--the coop is plenty large enough for the 5 of them that are left so I'll just work at getting them in there at night. They hop onto a small shed then fly up high into the tree so I'm not sure how to make it so they can't get to it, but I think I'll just route them to the coop BEFORE they get to the trees.
THanks for the help!

 

[animaladdictions]

If you keep them in the coop all day for a few days, they'll more than likely start roosting in there again..

 

[aarmstro99]

ohhhh, okay. all day. got it. they aren't going to like it but I will def. give it a shot to help break the tree habit! thanks!

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I had exactly the same problem, they didn't want to roost in the new coop, and liked the apple tree, till one night an owl napped one and the rest ran screaming down the hill...ever since that group was first in the new coop every night. Hard way to learn the lesson. Just want to save you the problem. It should only take a few days of confinement....