Tree climbing chicken!

[adnt1996]

I brought home three 12 week old pullets a few days ago. They are free ranged and two of them are great at going to bed at sundown. The third, however, decides to climb a tree instead! They hang out together all day and do not fight and there are 3 roosts in their pen and plenty of room. We live in a fox zone. How to I train my crazy chook to go to bed by herself?

 

[chooks4life]

Might help to put some treats in the main bed coop cage/whatever at dusk before they roost, possibly help round them up into the cage, then close the door.

Chooks who like to pick their own beds are often habitual in that area, they will 're-set' their bond to the cage back to being outdoors or up a tree a lot of the time. I've always had the occasional troublemakers who like to roost elsewhere, and they get bent on it.

You could also try making or shifting a temporary or permanent coop right under the tree she roosts in, in such a way as to prevent her getting up it so she roosts in it instead. I've built various mobile cages, it's a greatly useful thing to have on hand.

 

[chfite]

I would lock them all up for 2 weeks to ensure that they know where home is. They can spend their time in the run rather than roaming. If you have predators, as we all have, being out at night is not good in the long run.

Chris