Roosting in the Trees

[TrystInn]

We recently added three new hens to our flock and our sweet, well-behaved little gals have picked up a very bad habit from the new gals - they are roosting in the trees at night! Our Cochins are still tucking themselves up nicely in the coop at night, but now I've got Grand Firs filled with chickens 15 feet up! Even my bossy Rhodies are doing it now.

We let ours free-forage in the backyard, so catching them and tucking them in the coop at night would be - exhausting! I'm hoping I can clip their feathers as I can catch them, man are they wiley!

We're fortunate in that we don't have a lot of ground-dwelling predators around here - no raccoons, coyotes, etc. but I'm worried about owls and eagles.

We're expanding the coop just in case that's the issue, considering another pen and I'm going to have our farmhand cut the lower branches off the trees.

Any other ideas?

 

[pgpoultry]

We tend to forget that chickens are fliers. I have never had to clip the wings of my chickens as they are rather fat and lazy (Brahmas mainly) and their wings are hardly big enough for them to fly with.

It may be something that you should consider (one side only to make flight uneven) if you think that they will go into a coop at night. Otherwise weigh up the danger of them roosting high up. Free rangers often need all the fluttering into trees that they can muster. (Can never imagine a Brahma in a tree though).

Sandie

 

[kano]

This barred hen ( with some araucana blood, she lays green) sleeps on a lemon tree. Two nigths ago it was raining all nigth long, with wind and cold (we are in winter) and this photo was taken yesterday. Tough girl.

 

[gamechickens]

well it has worked for them for thousands of years. maybe just let them be or like you said you are expanding the soop maybe make it all enought to have a tree in it? little tree or somthing get creative.