Have you got a chicken roosting in trees instead of in the coop? This can be frustrating for many people keeping chickens.
Although some people allow or even encourage tree roosting, in many areas, it’s not recommended due to predators, weather, or just because it’s not how you, as the owner, want to keep your chickens.
Changing their habit can take a while once a chicken starts roosting in trees, but it’s possible.
Learn to stop chickens from roosting in trees and prevent them from starting the practice in this guide.
What’s Wrong With Chicken’s Roosting in Trees?
Before we look at how we can stop chickens from roosting in trees or prevent the practice from starting in the first place, we will list a few of the reasons why allowing them to do so is not always a good idea.
Although some people allow their chickens to roost in trees (it’s an accepted practice in some countries), this is often done by owners who allow free-ranging, including at night.
To keep your chickens the safest possible, having them secured in a coop each night is best. Here are some reasons why tree-roosting is not always a great idea.
1. Predators
There are so many areas where nocturnal and diurnal predators are out and about, but chickens are most at risk at nighttime. They have terrible night vision and are pretty much defenseless. If you have any potential predators, ensure your chickens are secure in a coop at night.
Now, you may think that some of those predators are not tree-climbers, but the thing about animals is they are smart. They will wait for chickens to head to the tree, or to come down when the sun rises.
Owls have been known to knock chickens off branches and get them on the ground. Foxes have been known to study the chickens over long periods and learn their routine.
2. Diminishing Flock Numbers
It is common for a chicken roosting in trees to disappear in the middle of the night. When they do, you never know if it was a predator, and if so, which one?
No one wants to keep replacing chickens that disappear, and if you lock them in at night instead of letting them roost in trees, you know the same number of chickens will come out in the morning.
3. Eggs Not Layed in One Area
Chickens that avoid the coop at night are highly likely to avoid laying their eggs in there. They may lay in the same spot every day, but once you discover their stash, they often find somewhere else. You will never know how old those eggs are when you find them.
Eggs outside the coop nesting boxes may attract predators who will keep returning for more.
4. Surprise Chicks
A chicken roosting in trees in a large area may sit on eggs you don’t know about. One day, she suddenly reappears with a whole lot of babies if there is a rooster in the flock.
5. Weather
In the warmer months in a predator-free home, a chicken roosting in trees is no big deal. When the cold comes, it may be hard to retrain or convince them the coop is the best place to be.
11 Ways to Stop Chickens Roosting in Trees
These methods are to stop birds who are currently roosting in trees or to prevent them from starting.
1. Clip Their Wings
Some people don’t like the idea of wing clipping, but if done correctly, you will not injure the chicken or cause pain. You are simply clipping the flight feathers at the end of the wing where the quills are hollow.
Some people clip one wing. However, if you have a flighty bird, both wings are best. It may take a while for the chicken to realize it can’t fly up to the roosting branch anymore, so make sure you go out and put it in the coop if it hasn’t made its way there on its own.
2. Ensure the Coop is Clean and Safe
This may seem unrelated. But to prevent chicken roosting in trees, it can be useful. A chicken’s instinct is to get to a safe spot at night.
Sometimes (for some individual chickens and some specific breeds), they will want to roost in a tree regardless. For others, there is something wrong with the coop. Make sure it is clean and free of mites and predators.
Make sure there is enough room for all of the chickens, as sometimes a group of bullied chickens (or just one on its own) will roost outside when the others head in at night.
3. Put Them Back at Night Manually
This may be more difficult than it sounds, depending on the chicken roosting in trees. It all depends on how high it is, the location of the tree, and your physical ability.
There are some chicken catchers you can purchase. One is similar to a fish net, and the other to a shepherd’s crook.
You can use these to gently get the chicken out of the tree and place it in the coop. You will need to repeat this several times over the week until the habit of going into the coop is embedded in the chicken’s brain.
This method is quite successful, so be patient and consistent.
4. Remove Access to the Tree
A chicken roosting in trees can be deterred by reducing access to the tree. You can do this by pruning the lower branches that the chicken likely uses to access the higher branches.
Depending on the tree types in your chicken run or free range area, you could remove smaller trees and only keep the tall ones with smooth trunks and no low branches.
It is wise to have shade for the chickens, so if you remove the trees or prune away many branches, consider other ways to provide shelter, such as shade sails.
For a new coop and run area, consider having the trees on the outside of the run, but allow for growth that provides shade inside the run.
5. Feed the Chickens in the Coop in the Evening
Some people have had success with this, and it is not something you need to continue too long. You want to lure the chickens into the coop at night with a few little treats.
Once the chickens go in automatically, you can stop altogether or do it randomly a couple of times a month, so they never know when it will happen.
To begin with, make this a regular training for the chickens. Over time, do it less. With consistency, you can retrain a chicken roosting in trees.
6. Have a Dim Light in the Coop
Chickens are attracted to light, so having a dim bulb in the coop when they should be heading in is a smart option.
Of course, not many coops have electricity, but solar options are available. Turn this off manually or with a timer once they are all in, and you have secured the door. If there is a chicken roosting in trees, it will be attracted to the light, so don’t lock it out.
7. Put a Fake Owl in the Tree the Chicken Roosts in
This is not the most effective method because it is short-term. It doesn’t take long for the chicken to realize that the owl is not real, so if you haven’t broken the habit by the time it works your ruse out, it will keep roosting up in the tree.
Still, one with flashing eyes and a rotating head like the one available at Amazon might work for a while.
8. Confine New Chickens to the Coop
This is another method for stopping the chickens from feeling the need to roost in trees before they start doing it.
New chickens are often bullied or nervous about going into a confined area like a coop with the older chickens. When you first integrate them into the flock, keep them confined to the coop for four or five days so that they know that is their new home where they belong.
Make sure there is food and water and enough ventilation and they should return every night as the sun goes down.
The interior temperature of the coop should be under 70ºF.
9. Make Sure the Coop and Run is Predator Free
Sometimes, chickens get scared if predators visit the coop or run at night. They will feel the need to get high up as most coop perches are quite low to the ground.
It is for this reason they seek the height of tree branches.
Invest in a trail camera if necessary to see what is happening outside the coop at night and what is visiting.
Take whatever action you need to do to rid the area of the predator.
10. Consider Getting a Rooster
This is the least likely to work, but it’s worth a try if all else fails. As the light starts to fade, a good rooster should signal to the chickens that it is time to head into the coop for the night.
He will generally make noises until they are all inside around him.
Those chickens who are being bullied may not go in, though, so it all depends on the dynamic of your flock.
11. Confine Them
If you don’t mind keeping them confined for a little while, you can sometimes reprogram a chicken’s brain by keeping it confined in an area where the safest place to sleep is to go into the coop.
You can do this by putting an enclosed dog run attached to the coop or make a temporary structure out of chicken wire. Don’t put anything inside the confined area for them to roost on. The only place to roost should be in the cop.
This will give them room to run around but will reinforce the idea that the coop is a safe place to be. Usually, when one chicken gets the idea, the rest will follow.
Once they are going into the coop regularly for a week or two without any prompting from you, you can remove the temporary run and let them free-range once again.