PoultryTalk.com

Hi there, I am pretty new to keeping chickens. We have 6 in total. 3 are a year old and the other 3 are approx 20-22 weeks old. One of the younger girls has taken to roosting in a 10ft high fence/bush at night. We cant get to her, so we have started to go out at about half 7, catch her and close her in the run.
The other girls go into the coop through the side door and about 9pm we then open the inner door to let her in. Are we doing the right thing? Will she get the hang of this or will we have to do this for ever? Its driving me mad every night!
Thank you in advance
Emma

forgot to add, she went into the coop foine for the first 2 weeks.
and I forgot to go out and catch her 2 nights ago and she went back up in the bush and spent a very wet night up there!

hi emma, if you get a cockerel he should round her up at night!
if not keep putting her away, she should get the idea. regards debbie

That reminds me of when I used to free range about 35 chickens down the stables. I used to end up climbing trees to get them in at night. I hated summertime 'cos it meant I was down there til 10 or 11 o'clock at night trying to round up chickens.

When you get them all in give them a small amount of corn or mealie worms each night at the same time. You'll find that she'll start looking forward to little treats and arrive with the others. My flock of about 30 Serama live in a shed with a big run but are let out for a few hours to roam the back garden. I used to chase them round and round the garden trying to get them back in. Now they all queue at the back door waiting for their corn and follow me as I throw a handful into the coops with other chickens in. Then they all rush into their pen and wait for me to scatter their treats.

Ha ha!! I am so glad ive found this post!
I have two young bantams, maybe 25wks old, only had them since May. Came home last night to find them half way up a tree looking very proud of themselves!!
It was completley my own fault because I'd nipped out after cleaning the coop, got back after bedtime, but had forgotten to open their bedroom door again!
How on earth they got up there in the first place i'l never know!!
But does that mean they've got a taste for it now??

They probably flew up - you'd be suprised how high a chicken can fly when it wants to. You'll probably have to discourage them, but as long as they come down and go into their coop at night, don't worry.

Hi,
Ive been out and bought some more bright green meshing stuff that im using as a roof for now. So now the entire run is covered in the stuff!! Although i had thought id put enough up before - wide enough around said tree! - obviously not. All good fun anyway! Never seen a chicken sat in a tree before!

I use to have chickens (30) that liked rosting in the pine tree all summer and winter. they looked like ortaments , they would see how high they could go about 30+ feet

I use to have chickens (30) that liked rosting in the pine tree all summer and winter. they looked like ortaments , they would see how high they could go about 30+ feet

forgot to add, she went into the coop foine for the first 2 weeks.
and I forgot to go out and catch her 2 nights ago and she went back up in the bush and spent a very wet night up there!

You open up the hen house at nine o clock at night? Once a chicken has gone up to roost they do not move again! All that will happen is that the fox will come in to the house. Great opportunists foxes. If she is ten foot high I see nothing wrong with leaving her alone, especially if she is more or less inside the run. She will not suffer from the weather. Chickens can live in trees all year round. (with the exception of some large combed, or abnormally feathered breeds) Just check that there are no flat surfaces beneath her that make easy steps for a fox to 'step jump' its way up to her.