My chicken hates me.

[smkchick]

But seriously.

I live in a suburban area where there isn't a terrible predator issue. There are raccoons in the area, but they haven't been around my property. My biggest concern is really my neighbors, who are just a fence away. The preferred tree is on the side with the nice neighbors (who made my girl feel right at home when she dropped down into their yard) but I'm still concerned about this tree sleeping because I don't want her on the other side where the not-so-nice neighbors are.

People have told me that owls and raccoons are the biggest threat to tree-sleeping chickens. I also don't want the babies to pick up the habit when they get old enough to be outside.

Gladys is a rescue - she spent a good part of her early life on her own so I guess tree-sleeping was her way of being safe.

I guess it wouldn't hurt to try a couple of days lockdown. I guess the worst thing would be her never going in the coop ever again!

We had a pretty friendly relationship up until I insisted she sleep in the coop. I don't know why people think chickens are dumb. She's a pretty good manipulator!

 

[Jajika]

Well you have now introduced a new dilemma not known before: That the tree is part of your neighbors. Didn't mention that.

Can you put up some chicken wire on the "not-so-nice" side to keep the chickens from going to that side?

I have put up some poultry netting over some of my trees to keep the chickens on my side of the neighbors yard. Works well.

You do have some challenges.

 

[7L Farm]

I would certainly lock her in the coop for awhile. Then see how she responds after that. But if she continues to roost in the tree keep putting her back in the coop. You will win the battle eventually. You don't want her getting killed by a predator.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:

I would but the dog sleeps there!

 

[AV Brahmas]

Quote:
OMG!!! Someone on line who understands my dry wit!!! THAT doesn't happen often!

Lock down WILL work eventually. If you are impatient then a chainsaw around 3 AM will create enough trauma to make trees forever unappealing. As to the pen, we keep large fowl pairs in breeding boxes with 5x3 pens enclosed with RABBIT wire to keep the coons out. Having such a thing enables you to go away for the day or on vacation without your pet getting massacred by something. You can feel secure and there is no hardship to the bird. What we do here is make the pen their main home and the pasture a treat. With multiple pens being let out in rotation it is important to us that nobody spend the night out.

The Brahmas live in somewhat larger quarters and do not have a wire roof over their heads when out of the building. I would tell you this is absolutely safe except an enormous hawk took one of them down this summer and tore it up pretty good before I got there. You have to understand that our Brahmas are huge. All of our chickens get locked inside at night. Owls are deadly to tree sitters.

 

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

Quote:
i know i just have 3 hens. they free range most all the time so they dont like being in the run (even though its a big one) anyway sometimes when we have to go somewhere i have to put them up. they follow me pretty much everywhere even mowing. i love them. so they follow me to the run i pick them up and put them in. after a few times of that they were like hmmmm i know what she is fixing to do to me so i think i will split. so i changed to doing it woth food same thing worked for a few times then they got wise. now i just get them as close as i can with the food and put them in. tiresome. i couldnt imagine having to dael and worry with them being in trees. mine were loving to sleep on top of the coop however. that still happens from time to time but i am trying to break them from it since cold weather will be coming soon. i have a hen that is sick right now and she is in my bathroom so i have not been as diligent with it as i was. dont we just love our chickens!!

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Given the fact that the OP's bird is still really just a baby - only 13 weeks, and, a rescue, I think she really just needs time to learn and trust that the coop is safe and home. A few days of lockdown really should do the trick with a bird that young.

 

[Yello]

Red blinking lights? The kind runners wear to be seen? Good idea!!

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

Attaching human emotions to a chicken is going to mess up OPs thinking in doing whats right to care for it. Don't think twice of forcing a chicken into its coop for its own good. Humans are the ones that have maniplated the original jungle fowl when creating modern chickens to such an extent that much of the self preservation instincts are lost and on top of that placed the resulting chickens in very unnatural environments. Now it is our duty to care for their safety and wellbeing.

 

[bakerjw]

I had a silver Sebright rooster decide that the tree right outside of the run gave him the perfect vantage point spot to roost. So every night for a week or so I'd go out with a long pole and nudge him back to the coop and run. He eventually got to the point where he'd see me coming and as soon as I grabbed the pole he'd jump to the top of the coop and then down into the run before sauntering off to the coop. He is now more than satisfied to be in the coop with everyone else.