[Psychopenny]

Am hoping someone can offer advice to solve my problem.  I have a little flock of Barbu d'Uccles who free range in my half acre garden.  They have a large ark (10' X 3') which is kept open for them in they daytime to access their food and water / lay eggs (none yet).  However, about a month ago they decided that they were going to sleep in the apple tree instead of going to bed in the ark at night.  They roost much too high for me to get them down once up there. We have a large badger population around here and I have lost birds to tree climbing badgers in the past (yes, really, I have actually caught them in the act).  

I clipped their wings hard, but this made no difference at all as they just jump up from branch to branch.  I cannot see any way I can fence this tree off from them.  

I tried keeping them shut in their ark for two weeks to convince them it was home, but  first day out they were up in the tree again.  Repeat the two week exercise, same result!  I like to have my bantams free range in my garden but of course I want to keep them safe.  Any ideas?

[Spana]

Have you checked for red mite ?

[Psychopenny]

Yes, all houses and hens have been treated with mite powder throughout the summer.  I powdered these guys at 5 day intervals while they were imprisoned as this thought had occurred to me too.  They just seem to love the tree: they stay in it all day if it's raining, pecking away at the bark.

[Spana]

Some of mine are the same. 

We converted an unused tack room into a hen house but most of the hens that it was for roost  up on its roof. 

I believe it that you have tree climbing badgers.  We had them climbing into our plum trees to get to the plums this year :blink:

[Psychopenny]

Do the badgers get your birds?  I have lost many birds to hungry badgers when the ground is hard and cold.  You can tell a badger strike (if you don't catch them int he act) as they tear the birds up and eat them on the spot, leaving a horrible mess behind, unlike a fox which will usually grab and run.

[evie2]

We have a fox and badger problem here, by here I mean our back garden  and all the chicks we hatched this spring turned out to be tree roosters.  The 5 we still have roost at the very top of the Damson trees (where there's no shelter) and every night they get fetched down and put in the coop with the others 

Hopefully they'll get the message and learn to take themselves to bed in the coop before the snow starts

[Spana]

Do the badgers get your birds? 

No, I've never lost any birds to badgers, their whole ranging area has electric poultry netting around it.  But a friend had a big goose dragged off by badgers.

Two of my 'roosting out ' hens have chicks at the moment and they are brooding the chicks at night on the barn floor in the straw.  Our JRT caught a weasel in there yesterday so if any of the chicks go missing i think they will be the culprits. 

[orchardlady]

What was the mite powder you used? Barrier red mite powder is not very effective and diatomaceous earth is good but will not eradicate an infestation. Your girls probably know there is still more mite in their coop so stay in the tree instead. Check really really carefully in the coop.

Orchardlady

[Psychopenny]

Hi
I gave the house a thorough soaking with strong solution of Jeyes fluid then, when dry, used a red mite spray containing permethrin and something else.   I treated the birds with Hydrophane Farmhouse Louse powder.  

Two days later I treated the birds with a citronide  barrier powder and also scattered it around the house.  

Three days later I treated the birds and the house with the Hydrophane again and then two days after that I repeated the job with the citronide.

I think you might be right that there are still mites in the house.  I resprayed it after moving it to fresh ground last night, and powdered all birds before shutting them in today, but they are all huddled up grumpily at the far end of the run, away from the house!  Will have to wait and see if they go in at bed time!

[Psychopenny]

Just checked and they have all gone to bed in their house like good little birds!  I reached in and rummaged around under them and have come out mite free, so nothing to indicate
mites as of right now.  I bet when I let them out to free range gain they'll go straight up the tree though!