How do I get the banties to quit laying their eggs in the tree?

[studentsigner]

We are new at raising chickens. We got the chickens in March as hatchlings. The chicks were kept inside where it was warm until sometime in May when my daughter felt it was warm enough to put them into the coop. Sometime in July my daughter ended up in the hospital gravely ill. None of us thought to go home that night to shut the hen door on the coop . Needless to say, some coons got in and killed over 15 of our chicks. Well the banties were little enough to get through some places on the fence, and took to roosting in the tree. They have chosen a very tall pine tree to roost in. There are several places where the branches overlap. I think the banties think this is a nesting place.
They go up in the evening, and come back down in the early morning. There are 4 banties left. We have 2 that I believe are now laying eggs. The problem is that the hens don't lay where the branches are thick with needles, because the eggs are falling through! How do we get the banties to roost in the coop? One, we hate that all of their eggs are falling to the ground and breaking. Two, how will they survive the terrible cold, snow and ice?
I tried to catch some of the banties, but they just climbed up higher into the tree. I realize that the episode with the racoons terrified them from roosting in the coop, but with cold weather upon us, that worries us too.
The other chickens roost in the coop. But then they can't get out of the pen! Aso, none of the other hens have started laying eggs, only the banties. Are the others still too young?

Thanks for all your suggestions and help, we appreciate it!

 

[mstricer]

Where do they eat? If you can make a feeding trap. Like a hoop house kinda thing. Watch them and whalya you got them. Then lock them in the coop for a while.

 

[mstricer]

Oh by the way

 

[studentsigner]

Dear mstricer,
The chickens are completely free range now. They come around when we go out to throw bread scraps or whatever. but not close enough to try and catch

 

[mstricer]

Maybe you could make a feeding station similar to this

It now has plastic fencing over it. Once in block the exit. It might take a few times, but your banties won't survive the winter in the trees. They are easy to make it only took us a little over an hour to make and the fencing was a snap just that garden stuff. We use it for winter runs with tarps over in and in the spring put plastic on it for a greenhouse.
Michele

 

[dixiebeast]

Quote:
I would love some measurements on this! Base size and how long the PVC poles are? PLEASE!!! Its great!!