roosting in trees

flockmarket

In the Brooder
8 Years
Aug 11, 2011
34
1
32
hey yall,
so my chickens have been roosting in the trees lately, and i have to go get each one and put them in the coop and shut the dooor, not fun, i have alot of roosts inside the coop but they insist on roosting in the trees. they used to just come into the coop at night but now im getting angry. how can i get them to not roost in the trees, but roost in the coop? thanks
 
Is it all of them or just a few, especially the ones lowest in the pecking order? Sometimes the chickens lowest in the pecking order get so beat up on the roosts that they look for a safer (to them) place to roost.

Does your coop have enough light in it for them to see to go to bed? Some coops get dark a whole lot faster inside than outside. Chickens can't see in the dark, so by the time it gets dark enough for them to go to bed, it is too dark in the coop for them to see to go to bed. You don't really need a light, but a window can help if this is the problem.

I agree with Nivtup. Lock them in there for a couple of weeks so they can learn where home is. That's the easiest solution if you can do it. Or if you can lure them in there a little before bedtime with treats maybe instead of locking them up all the time. But someway you need to break their bad habit.
 
well iv had them for about half a year now, and theyve been doing it occasionally, but usually the roost, and the whole coop is open wire except for the roof. also its the highest in thhe pecking order. the "queens", they cause the main problem, i guess ill just have to lock them away for a week.
 
I had this problem too, and the good people here on BYC advised a lockdown for a few days. I locked my hen in the coop for three days and then let her out. At dusk, she headed right for (wait for it) the TREE. I was ticked! But again, everyone said try another lockdown, so I did. For another 3 days. I let her out and that evening she started moseying over to the tree (like I wasn't watching), looking up at it. I herded her toward the coop, but she wouldn't go in. I tossed in a few mealworms, but she knew what I was trying to do and was having none of it.

Then she looked up at the coop, cocked her head to one side and I swear I could see the light bulb go on over her little chicken head. She walked into the coop, right past the treats and up the ladder to the roost. I was amazed. When I got home from work this afternoon, she was in the coop on her way up the ladder.

Lock 'em up. It works. And if it doesn't, lock 'em up again!!

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Let us know how it goes...
 
My guineas will occasionally try to roost in a tree. My DH has a long telescoping pole that I use to push, scare, and knock them out of the tree. I always say, "Get off the roo - oof!" as I am doing it. I know they are not on the roof but the first few times, that was where they were. The second or third evening, they see me coming and fly down and go inside. I have to do this about once a year.
 
okay guys, iv kept them in about a week, i hate to keep them locked up but i think it will work thanks guys, ill let you know how it goes when i let them out again.
 
I gave up on mine. They roost in the trees. Both roosters, every night, like clockwork, fly up into the trees. The pullet (these three were raised together) has finally decided that she belongs in the coop. I'm tired of climbing up there. My knees don't like ladders. They have learned to fly higher than I can reach. They have learned to fly up when they see the determined look on my face. Roos 1, me 0. I give up. You win. Sleep well. You are gonna get cold. You may get eaten. I tried to warn you. You won't listen. Darn chicken.

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lol, feel the same way. they're like children who want to play in thee street! i love them to much to let them roost.
 

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