"There's a chicken in a tree!"

[VA Lady]

So our first 4 chickens aren't quite old enough to lay yet but apparently one of them is old enough to start flying out of their run into a nearby tree. The first time she did it I couldn't believe my eyes. I'm yelling into the house - "There's a chicken in a tree!!" They'd flown around some but she went much higher - at least 12 feet up the tree on the other side of the run. Now she does it at least once a day (and the others are getting ideas!).

Roxie in the tree:

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

It's a bird...
It's a plane....
No, It's Super Chicken!!!

 

[pgpoultry]

Chickens will usually choose to roost in trees if they are given the opportunity. I think we forget that they are birds!

Actually, my Brahmas don't even choose to fly except from the top of the raised flower bed (about 2 feet up) back to the ground as their wings just don't seem big enough to support them. But at least you have real chickens!

Sandie

 

[theoldchick]

No matter how much be manipulate their genes for certain physical characteristics a chicken will always seek the safety of a tree. I love the look on their face when they discover they can fly!

 

[tuesdays chicks]

well at least shes safe up there, but I think you better hope she doesn't build a nest up there because she looks about ready to give you eggs too.

 

[Dar]

when you get her down trim the lower branches so she has nothing to grab onto as she tries to roost in the tree again

If she is allowed to roost in the tree she may not want to go to the coop at night and she cant be protected in the tree from predators. One of my phoenixes kept going to the tree and like clockwork we would get the ladder at bedtime and fish him down till one day he was to high and we could not get him so we left him. The next night the same thing.. and on and on and on... till one morning there was no phoenix in the tree a coon got him

 

[blueraspberry]

thats a sad story

!

 

[LesGan]

When she comes down clip her wings. I just went through and clipped the wings of my 5 weeks olders since they had discovered that they could fly.

 

[VA Lady]

Right now she's really pretty good about it. She'll fly up there, look around for no more than a minute or two and then, usually, fly right back down into the run around the coop. Sometimes she'll fly into the yard though so she can go back in the woods and dig around in the leaves (they love doing that!).

 

[txchickie]

Quote:
I had a japanese bantam that went broody in an old birdsnest in a tree TWICE.

She was crazy anyway and super flighty, I had to get rid of her.