Hen won't stay out of the trees

[KikiDeAnime]

We have 2 apple trees right next to the old chicken yard and the flock have free roam of that area but a problem has popped up recently. I put off posting this as I thought I'd be able to solve it on my own but it's gotten to the point where I need to ask for help in solving this or we may lose this hen.
1 week ago, I noticed our Bantam WCB Polish hen would fly up into the trees to sleep instead of going into the coop like she was before. The flock have lived in the new coop for almost 3 weeks and she was doing fine going back into it at night until last week.
Until last night, she was only perching on low enough branches to where I could grab her but she figured out that I can't reach near the top without a ladder or simply climbing the tree so she flew up near the top of the tree last night and I had to leave her there. I was up 'til 2am and kept letting our male dog out there just to make sure nothing could get her.
I can't just keep the flock locked up in their coop all the time.

Does anyone have a solution to this?

 

[MarkJr]

Water hose will chase her out of the tree.

Chickens like security. Figure out why she doesn’t feel the coop is secure. Lock them full time into coop and run for a few days to make her roost in coop.

 

[MarkJr]

Also, how big is your coop in feet by feet? And how many bodies are expected to be inside?

 

[KikiDeAnime]

Chickens like security. Figure out why she doesn’t feel the coop is secure. Lock them full time into coop and run for a few days to make her roost in coop.

I did that for a whole week during their first time in the new coop. They were locked up for a whole week.

 

[MarkJr]

I did that for a whole week during their first time in the new coop. They were locked up for a whole week.

You may need to do it again until she gets the hint.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Does anyone have a solution to this?

Have you considered cutting down the tree? (That's meant as a joke, by the way)

You could try trimming a wing. I'm not sure that would solve your problem. Actually I kind of doubt it.

I think Mark had the best suggestion, why doesn't she want to sleep in there? There could be lots of different reasons. One as simple as her bird brain doesn't process logic like a human brain. To her. sleeping high means safety. She doesn't understand that you locking her in a secure coop is a lot safer. If she keeps it up some of the others might start sleeping with her. I like that water hose idea, it might convince her that sleeping up there really isn't safe as well as get her down.

It's quite possible something is going on in the coop to make her not want to sleep in there. Have you checked for roost mites?

Are the other chickens making her not want to sleep in there. That's been the cause when this type of thing happened to my flock. An older hen was making life miserable at bedtime for some juveniles so they stopped sleeping in the coop. How old is she? How old are the other chickens? How many chickens do you have, how big is the coop. What does the roost area look like, how much roost length and height, is it all together or spread out? Are they going through puberty where the pecking order is changing? Do you have a cockerel that chases her out of the coop?

The way I'd probably try to solve it if I couldn't figure out the real cause is to keep doing what you are trying to do, lock her in there every night to retrain her. Maybe lure them all in the coop before dark with food and lock them in there.

I wish you luck. This kind of stuff can be frustrating and it's not always easy figuring out why it happens.

 

[KikiDeAnime]

Does anyone have a solution to this?

Have you considered cutting down the tree? (That's meant as a joke, by the way)

You could try trimming a wing. I'm not sure that would solve your problem. Actually I kind of doubt it.

I think Mark had the best suggestion, why doesn't she want to sleep in there? There could be lots of different reasons. One as simple as her bird brain doesn't process logic like a human brain. To her. sleeping high means safety. She doesn't understand that you locking her in a secure coop is a lot safer. If she keeps it up some of the others might start sleeping with her. I like that water hose idea, it might convince her that sleeping up there really isn't safe as well as get her down.

It's quite possible something is going on in the coop to make her not want to sleep in there. Have you checked for roost mites?

Are the other chickens making her not want to sleep in there. That's been the cause when this type of thing happened to my flock. An older hen was making life miserable at bedtime for some juveniles so they stopped sleeping in the coop. How old is she? How old are the other chickens? How many chickens do you have, how big is the coop. What does the roost area look like, how much roost length and height, is it all together or spread out? Are they going through puberty where the pecking order is changing? Do you have a cockerel that chases her out of the coop?

The way I'd probably try to solve it if I couldn't figure out the real cause is to keep doing what you are trying to do, lock her in there every night to retrain her. Maybe lure them all in the coop before dark with food and lock them in there.

I wish you luck. This kind of stuff can be frustrating and it's not always easy figuring out why it happens.

No mites. I check the whole flock every morning before they're let out.
She's 1 year old. The other 8 hens range 1-3 years old.
There's a few different roosts for them in a few spots of the coop. I didn't want to put the roosts too close to each other so the flock isn't together. Just a few bunched up on a roost and a few other bunched up on another roost.
She and the other hens beat up the cockerel daily and he has 1 bald spot near his neck.
6 out of 10 go into the coop on their own but the rest I have to lure in with food.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Instincts are stronger with some birds. Trees are a more natural place to sleep than a coop.

 

[Dottie the Chicken]

I'd clip her wing. Just one though, so she's off balance. Maybe feed them at night so you can lure her back in at bedtime.

 

[Ridgerunner]

No mites. I check the whole flock every morning before they're let out.

That will not tell you if you have roost mites. Roost mites hide during the day and only come out at night to feed off of the chickens' blood. You need to check for them after dark. Look around the vent with a flashlight, or better yet, a head light to leave your hands free. When the light hits them they will run away so you need to be fairly quick.

6 out of 10 go into the coop on their own but the rest I have to lure in with food.

That raises a flag.. At those ages they should all not have any problems sharing roosts and such as that. But it sounds like a new coop, maybe they just haven't earned to sleep there yet if you have to lure some in with food. I'm sure I'm not getting the entire picture as to what is going on but probably something to do with transitioning to a new coop.

It sounds like you don't want to lock them in the coop only for a week or so. Can you fix some type or run around that coop and away from the trees for a while? That would make them a lot easier to catch at night and not let her sleep in that tree.