Rogue Chicken

[dr1939]

I have a rogue chicken who refuses to stay in the pen overnight with the other 6 chickens. She sleeps in a big oak tree at night. Fortunately we live in Florida so it doesn't get too bad the (temperature) but here it is tonight and raining the temperature is suppose to drop into the upper 30's. Any suggestion on how to get a chicken to stay in the pen at night with the rest of them. The pen is covered and out of the wind and they have a nice perch where they can roost at night and huddle together if it gets cold.

 

[silkymom]

i would catch him and loke him in for a day or so, once he knows home , he should go in at night, ?

 

[aart]

I have a rogue chicken who refuses to stay in the pen overnight with the other 6 chickens. She sleeps in a big oak tree at night. Fortunately we live in Florida so it doesn't get too bad the (temperature) but here it is tonight and raining the temperature is suppose to drop into the upper 30's. Any suggestion on how to get a chicken to stay in the pen at night with the rest of them. The pen is covered and out of the wind and they have a nice perch where they can roost at night and huddle together if it gets cold.

If the pen is covered how is she getting out?

How many chickens.....same age and always lived together?
How long is the roost?

 

[dr1939]

They only stay in the pen at night ,they free range in the backyard during the day. (3) are 14 weeks old,(2) are about a year and 1/2 the rogue chicken is about 3 years old. The other one just appeared in the backyard , I have no idea how old she is. The rogue was the second one I got. The roost is approximately 7 feet long.
Thanks for the reply.

 

[aart]

I had a rogue chicken turn up this summer, I finally trapped her and gave her to a friend.

That bird roosted in the bushes all summer, she would go into the coop to eat and would forage closer and closer to the other birds over a month or so and finally went in to roost(but far from the other birds) in the coop when it got real cold after she was gently herded in a few times.

So it might take some time, you might want to add a separate roost so everyone has plenty of space if they need to have some space apart if she hasn't been accepted into the flock.

 

[dr1939]

Thanks for the reply. Last winter I managed a couple of times to trick into coming into the pen on a couple of real cold nights. But I had to entice her in with mealy worms around 3 in the afternoon but That meant I had to lock them all up early. Then The next night she was right back up in the tree. I couldn't begin to get her close to the pen the next time.

 

[Phoenixxx]

How are your climbing skills? You could do that a few nights in a row (wait til after chicken bedtime, catch her and bring her in) until she gets the hint might want to get someone to hold a flashlight for you, though - last time I had to climb a tree at night I couldn't see on my way down and fell out

 

[aart]

Thanks for the reply. Last winter I managed a couple of times to trick into coming into the pen on a couple of real cold nights. But I had to entice her in with mealy worms around 3 in the afternoon but That meant I had to lock them all up early. Then The next night she was right back up in the tree. I couldn't begin to get her close to the pen the next time.

Oh, so she's been rogue for a long time, yard chicken...not sure she's trainable at this point.

Unless maybe you lock them all in the pen for a week or two, if there's a lot of room, hiding places and an extra roost, if you really want her to acclimate to living in the pen you'll have to force it strongly.

 

[Jntnrmn]

I realize this is an old post, but I'm wondering if a solution was found....I have 6 young chickens ( app 4 months old) and they have all been super easy to get back in their coop at the end of the day, ( I had watched to see when they preferred to go back and now that is the basis of when I go put them to bed) but now all of a sudden ( the last few nights) there is one that just won't follow. I am left chasing her around bribing her with their ultimate favorite treat ( live mealies) but she just isn't interested. Tonight, there was a lurching hawk AND it was raining with dropping temps so I was desperate to get her to her safe coop but she wasn't cooperating. Any advice on how to handle this situation, I really don't want her to make a habit of this

 

[dr1939]

No, I am sorry . There is no coaxing of any kind . during the day when they are free ranging in the back yard she will go into the pen when we are having heavy rain or to use the nest. BUt at night when the rest of them go into the pen she goes the other way. A couple of times during the cold months when they were in the pen during the day I caught her in the pen and closed her in early for the night. However that was only a couple of times that I was successful. The rest of the time she goes toi her tree.
In regards to your one , that you have the problem with is she the lower one on the pecking order? In my pen I have two perches for them to use . The one that is the lowest on the pecking order has to sleep on the back perch because the rest of them won't let her on the front perch. Check and see if they are giving the one that doesn't want to go into the pen at night a hard time. That could be your problem. Sorry I couldn't help more.