Hens really like roosting outside on the fence

[theRURALgirl]

Hello poultry lovers..I have 5 hens who are just over 4 months old. When we got them as babies we raised them in our garage in a little pen until they were able to be introduced to something bigger. Before we were able to built their coop we moved them to our barn and built a nice size enclosure before we allowed them to free range. Our coop has been built now for a few weeks. They go in there to eat and drink (and now are starting to lay eggs in the nesting boxes the last two days) but seem to love to roost outside on our paddock fence. Tonight we had rain (a miracle here in our town..LOL) and I told my husband that we had to get them off the fence and into their coop. We got two on the roosts and in seconds they were making their way back to the fence. I let them be because I really didn't want to stress them out.

What do I do to get them to roost in their coop? I am more concerned for once the weather turns cold. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

It's best to have a secure place for your hens to sleep in at night, no matter what the weather, in order to keep them safe from predators. Chickens are really oblivious to everything after dark, making them easy pickings for any owl, fox, raccoon, etc. The up side to that is that they'll also be easy for you to pick up off the fence and set into their coop after dark. It shouldn't stress them at all.

Hopefully, after only a few days of waking up inside the coop they should start going in there to roost on their own. But some hens are more determined than others to roost in a place of their choosing. If they really resist, try offering them treats in the coop right before dark, to bribe them to go where you want.

Have fun with your feathered family!

 

[hcppam]

grab them after dark and put them in their coop, I would be very worried about predators, owls will pick them off. good luck. Hello, from the Big Bear mountains of Ca. Glad you found us.

 

[theRURALgirl]

Thank you! It was still light out when we tried. The funny thing is they hang out on the part of the fence where my horse sleeps at night, maybe they chose him as their personal body guard lol, but I do worry something will happen so tomorrow night I will give it a go and hopefully they will stay inside.