[curries]

Hi there, over the summer I hatched some legbars, the two boys went to new homes which left me with one girl.  I have four other chickens who started picking on her and she took to roosting in the tree! I tried fetching her down every night but she now goes about 20 feet up and I can't get to her.  I was hoping they would eventually sort themselves out but she still persists in going up the tree.  My next plan was to clip her wings so that I can catch her and put her in.....but how do I catch her to clip her wings!  With the weather turning I'm starting to worry about how to sort this out.  Any advice much appreciated :-)

[ANHBUC]

If the tree is a safe place you might be better letting her be.  Joyfull has hens that roost in trees, it is their natural habitat.  They have their feather duvets to keep them warm and dry so unless they are ill they should be fine.   

[curries]

That would be the easy option if she will be ok, I was just worried that when it's blowing a gale and throwing it down she would get too cold, I guess that's what all the pheasant and partridge do, but she hasn't even got anyone to huddle up with or am I being too soft!

[ANHBUC]

I think if she gets uncomfortable as it gets colder she will join the flock.  You might also find that after she is a year old she will not be able to fly as high so may not be able to roost in the tree.

[barley]

you could try tempting her into a cage near dusk with a treat before she heads for the trees , shut her in and once dark they are quite subdued to handle - you could then place her in the box with the others

We are soft aren't we - no doubt she would survive if safe from foxes but we like them tucked up in a warm box don't we 

[curries]

Hi I tried to herd her into the shed tonight before she went up the tree but she's so flighty I didn't stand a chance and she just went straight up the tree unfortunately .

[curries]

Let's hope so :-)

[Sassy]

The only other thing is to spend time taming her with treats, this make take some time if she is flighty. She may just be insecure being the odd one out in the flock

[pepsi100]

When I was in Sth america, I never saw a hen house, all the chooks lived in trees, the temperature was freezing and we were 4-5000 meter in the mountains (they had these naked neck hens as well (and hairless dogs)
I never saw an frozen chooks (and we had the worst weather for 50 years) so the rain and wind never bothered them

Only thing I would be worried about is anty prdators before she gets to her tree

The hand taming and treating her to treats before bed time seems a good idea and worth trying

(In the amazon all the jungle fowl lived in trees and they had a lot of predators that can climb trees there, but I never found any bodies or feathers scattered around, they arent as daft as they look these chooks  )

[joyfull]

some of mine have always lived outside their coops and they are out there in the sun, rain, sleet and snow, often with frost on their feathers - they have been hatched in a field and then when then as soon as they were old enough their mum taught them to perch on branches. A few years ago I had a couple of mink attacks and the birds that survived was the tree dwellers.

[curries]

In that case I think I'll leave her be. I'm not sure where the eggs will end up when she starts laying , that could be interesting.  Thanks for all the helpful advice everyone :-)

[ANHBUC]

In that case I think I'll leave her be. I'm not sure where the eggs will end up when she starts laying , that could be interesting.  Thanks for all the helpful advice everyone :-)

Even hens in the coop sometimes lay their first eggs from the perch but they soon get the hang of finding a nest to lay them in.   

[Sassy]

Don't be alarmed by frost on their feathers this means that  their duvets are keeping the heat in!

[Jo57]

Interested to see others have hens in the trees. My three youngest (2 pekins and a sabelpoot/light sussex cross) all go up to the tree branches at night leaving the other 10 to file into the coop. I have been wondering what will happen when the trees are bare and where they will lay. Never a dull moment in this hen keeping lark!

[pepsi100]

I would guess they would go and see a branch manager for a new green home