Think I need a *real* coop

[JetBlack]

I built one that worked great but now the chickens don't seem to like it, to sleep in. I think the cat scared them.

Of all things, they fly up to the top of the roof and sleep on the cable line. It started with all 8 of them trying to sleep on the birdhouse (1/4 the size of a shoebox!). They still fall off the cable, occasionally but right now, 6 are on the cable and 1 is on the bird house. The rooster fell off the wall and got his leg stuck in the Adirondack chair. I freed him and put him on the wooden barrier wall. I few minutes later, I hear him scratching around the side yard.

He fell off the wall.

Maybe his foot fell asleep? It'll probably be up all night, now.

Are store bought coops any good? I don't want to buy garbage, but spending all day pounding my thumbs with hammers to make crooked chicken houses, that don't even look "up to code" is not a good use of time.

Here's pictures of them:

I mean seriously... what the heck?!?!

 

[Hamptons06]

That's hysterical!

 

[JetBlack]

I mean I doubt that cable line can hold 50 pounds of chickens. How can I discourage this so when they get older, I don't lose cable? I've tried sitting them down to a talk but they are worse than ADHD kids, with their attention span.

They have more like ADOSS. Attention Def- Ooh! Something Shiny!

 

[Hamptons06]

They obviously need a bar to roost on.

 

[JetBlack]

This is right before the chicken-rodeo started. She didn't last the 8 seconds, on *that* bull though. In the background, is the wall, they jump off of, to get onto the cable. When they fall off the cable, they fall two stories, outside the fence. Then act like they have never been out there and have no idea how to get back into the back yard.

I think it's a game.

 

[JetBlack]

Quote:
What if I just strung some cable in the coop?

 

[Chook-A-Holic]

Well, at least they're resourceful.

 

[Hamptons06]

They need something they can wrap their feet around. Round like a shower bar type.

 

[mylittlechickpea]

thank you. my day needed that. i hope you solve your problem... if not, post more pics.

 

[MotherJean]

Just when I think I have all the answers, these crazy chickens change the questions. Years ago I had a small backyard flock that put themselves into the coop at dusk, went to roost, no problem. One night, for no discernible reason, they decided to roost on the lower limbs of a rather large fir tree near their coop. You know how they always want to be a high as they can get? I kid you not, within a couple of days my chickens were roosting at least 60 feet in the air on these feeble fir tree limbs. Dangdest thing I ever saw. I never broke them of it. If bad weather was in the offing, I had to make sure I herded them into the coop before sundown and closed the door. Once they went to roost in the fir tree, I'd have needed a cherry-picker to get them down.