Tree birds

[Shadrach]

All the bantams and the mixed breeds here are professional tree huggers. Hardly surprising given its the chickens natural instinct to roost in trees.
I don't have much of a problem with it tbh. We don't have many night time predators that will climb and the owls here may try for a chick but not a full sized chicken.
The Marans here have never shown any inclination to roost in the trees and prefer their coop. They can fly, but nothing like as well as the bantams and mixed.

 

[ValerieJ]

Little Red Haired Girl and Rosie used to sleep in the apple tree. When it snowed I'd have to shovel a launch pad for them. It was all fun and games until the eagle swooped in and plucked Little Red right out of the tree. Rose never went up there again.

 

[greytgrey]

It was all fun and games until the eagle swooped in and plucked Little Red right out of the tree.

Oh no! I'm so sorry!

 

[varidgerunner]

Sooooooooo I don't want to be debbie downer... but I got to tell you I have never had tree-roosting birds that made it very long. You may want to try and break them of the habit before they aren't around anymore. Chickens can't see in the dark, they will literally just sit there (think about how easy it is to grab them at night to look at them vs the day). And eventually someone is going to come upon them... in my case a raccoon... and they'll just sit there when it comes time to get away. I've heard owls can taken them out of trees as well.

There are breeds that can see in the dark. The ones that can can be light sleepers and take necessary evasive actions. I have birds that have roosted in trees for years. They all pick their own spot, based on memory of previous harassment. They will have a spot for roosting with chicks, and another spot for roosting by themselves, that they will gravitate back to once the chicks are reared. You can pen them up for months, and they will go back to their tree. Trees are safer than some chicken coops, and in the mind of some breeds, they are always better., being able to fly if needed.

 

[ValerieJ]

Oh no! I'm so sorry!

Thanks it was pretty devastating. I recently posted a video of her called In memory of Little Red Haired Girl. She was pretty cute.

 

[Chicken Heel]

One of my favorite childhood memories is getting up at the crack of dawn to watch my Bantams fly off the roost from the trees behind our house. My Dad would often watch with me while drinking his first morning cup of coffee. Besides the Bantams, we would usually see a doe that liked to bring her fawns into the back yard.

 

[Dharmachick]

I have 8 semi-dwarf fruit trees in my backyard, and the girls love to climb in the trees and eat the fruit. Especially the plums. The sit under the plum tree in the shade, and that is the most fruit giving tree I have.