We have 3 adult roosters that we took in. They were never handled much by humans and are skittish. We built a coop for them and they will NOT go in. We have tried everything (used treats, food, pool skimmer, made a run outside of the coop to trap them, etc). They run away before we can catch them and are too scared of the food near the coop. We managed to get one rooster in a few nights and he did well but then never came back in.
The weather is freezing in Michigan and they perch in our pine trees. Can they freeze to death without shelter?
Several years ago a regular on here told a story about a flock of feral chickens on the Michigan peninsula when he was a kid. They slept in trees, foraged for all their food, and probably go water by eating snow. They were not in peak condition like a well fed flock would have been but they were alive in Spring. He did not know if there were any predator losses or not but the main flock made it OK.
A predator could get them, cold weather could cause serious problems, but it's not guaranteed.
Any other recommendations to get them in?
I don't know how big that run is or whether they would be able to fly over the fence. I'm not sure how useful it really is. Could be great, could be a distraction to you.
They are sleeping in the pine trees. It is unlikely you can get them while they sleep without serious risk of severely injuring yourself. When they are sleeping is a common way to try to get them and it can work, but in this case it does not sound practical.
I'd start by setting food out where they see it and will eat it. Don't try to catch them or scare them, for now just let them get used to eating out of a certain dish.
Construct a trap. It could be that run or maybe you need to build something they can't fly out of. Rig it up so you can remotely close the door. Probably set something up with a long rope that goes to a blind or at least a place a long way away. It could be a door with hinges or a guillotine type door that falls in place when you tug on that rope.
Once they get used to eating out of that bowl, gradually move it toward the trap. You don't need to be around to start with to watch them but let them see you occasionally from a distance without trying to approach them. Once they are eating out of that bowl in the back of the trap and are used to seeing you rope distance away without panicking, spring your trap using slow movements.
