Chickens - what do I do with them next?!

[dollyanna]

I have 5 poland hens that arrived 2.5yrs ago. They live free range in my garden with a run that has their house in - purpose built by us. Until recently they have been lovely, all going to bed at night like good little hens apart from Poppy who likes to jump up onto the roof of their house - easy enough, just lift her down each night and pop her in the house.
A couple of months ago 3 of them (Lily, Poppy and Teasel) started roosting outside their run every night, on the plough at the end of the garden or on the back fence having hopped up from the plough. No idea why, but the only way to stop them was to shut them in the run before roosting time. I cleaned and washed their house in case it was something inside biting them, but no sign of anything and no change to their behaviour.
I have managed to "manage" Lily now by shutting them in the run, she goes to bed. If I forget to call them in then she will still roost outside.
Poppy and Teasel are a nightmare though - Poppy rarely settled on the roof any more and ends to go higher, even managing to jump up on to the back fence. Teasel disappeared for one night, still no idea where she was but reappeared lunchtime the next day. Teasel is now moulting heavily but still manages to get up onto the fence if not shut in. She has had her wing clipped for some time - No point with Poppy as she can do what she likes wing clipped or not.
Last night I completely lost Poppy. They were shut in the run. Found her this morning on the roof of next door's 2 storey garage - she must have jumped up onto various different levels to end up there. Managed to coax her down but short of tying her to the floor I'm not sure how to retrain her to go to bed!
I am going to try and cover the run completely, but I would really like to know why they started this in the first place? What would make 3 of them suddenly change habit at the same time? We don't have any obvious predators, there were no signs of infestation, and they've had the same routine for 2.5yrs.
Any ideas?

 

[PorkChop]

Because sometimes they just do! We have a silkie that roosts in a bush every night, so has to be lifted into the coop.

Quick answer is to keep them contained in a covered run until they get back into a routine again.

I would try luring them in with their favourite food about an hour before roosting.

Another thought might be rats or weasel are hanging around the coop.

Hard one, because I wouldn't want to personally keep chickens unless they were allowed to be free range in the day - though I know lots of people have to.

The other option is to post them to me

 

[dollyanna]

I do lure them in before roost time - they are escaping out of their run by some very strange means! There are areas I can cover but I suspect this will only divert them find ever more imaginative ways to elude me...

 

[dollyanna]

And I can't possibly post them to you - I would have to start weeding the garden again!

 

[cobgoblin]

You could try putting some food and water in the hut every evening. Mine have all their food and water in their half stable and rush in every night when I put fresh food in the pots. The rest of the day they have free run of about 3/4 acre.

 

[D66]

I'd clean the chicken house againand dust it and the hens with diatom (diatomaceous earth), in case of mites. Then you need a bag of dried mealworms! Start off by shaking the bag and throwing them a handful of worms during the afternoon, do this regularly, very soon they'll rush over whenever they hear the bag, or eventually whenever they see you. When you want them in the house just throw some meal worms in.
Ours used to hide in the apple trees to roost, but would leap down for meal worms - it's chocolate cake for chickens.

 

[Clodagh]

As Digger says, a chicken would sell its eggs for a mealworm.
I bet you had or have red mite though, they are very sneaky and hard to trace. If you have no objections to chemicals use Ficam W or REAL creosote to paint the inside thoroughly. Deosect works well too, the stuff you use on horses. These are all chemicals that you should wear protective clothing to apply. If you can guarantee the house is bug free then do leave them shut in for a week to re educate them.
I also clip wings of persistent rooster outers, it does keep them lower to the ground, but not if they will then find outisde places on the ground to sleep.

 

[The Bouncing Bog Trotter]

Like others have said I bet you have red mite or something sneaking around at night. Take the house apart if you can and steam clean and creosote or puff with diatom or spray with Ficam. I tried the nematode red mite things this year with limited success.

Def try the mealworms - mine are trained to come running when I call them thanks to mealworms. Maybe their preaching area is too small or too light or doesn't feel secure enough, or maybe the perch is too big.

Clip the wings (one side only) to stop flying and put a roof on the run if you can.

Most chickens love going to bed and take themselves off to their bed chambers (when ready!) so that would imply that they don't like theirs.

 

[dollyanna]

Thank you for all the ideas but we have already done all of it!! They come for their mealworms but I am not always home at roosting time so can't always shut them in before they roost. I have been shutting them in the run but 2 are still getting out, I don't know how. I have bought some stuff to cover the only possibilities left and angle the fence inwards so they can't roost up there at least.
The house has been thoroughly scrubbed, cleaned and treated from top to bottom. I will spray it again but I'd have though they would all move out if it was mites? It's always the same 3 troublemakers, this time they just seem to be hanging up rather than having their individual foibles.
They have clipped wings but it doesn't stop the worst two - Poppy has always been able to fly despite it but only ever chose to go up on the roof of the hen house where we are used to just lifting her down and popping her in. Teasel currently has hardly any feather anywhere due to moulting but is still managing to jump.
I think it's because someone came and told me they were renowned as a breed for flying recently - totally the opposite to most opinion of the breed, which because of their poll usually don't go above head level cos they can't see - but I think the hennies heard!!
Will barricade them in tomorrow and see what their next move will be.

 

[cobgoblin]

One more idea - you could try putting a light of some sort in the hut. As dusk falls they will move towards light and it might just get them into the house. If you want winter eggs leave the light on for a few hours after dusk.

 

[dollyanna]

Thanks, I'm not sure how we could manage that but will think on it. Maybe a battery powered light would be enough?
I got some bamboo fencing last night and have fixed it up in a relatively temporary manner so that it stops them getting up on to the back fence in any way, they can't get out of the run or onto the back fence in the run section and they can't use their favourite places outside the run either. Hoping it makes it awkward enough that they give up - failing that it will be raining soon and they don't usually stay out if it's raining at bedtime!
Going away in a couple of weeks and the neighbours are looking after them so as long as I can keep them in the bounds of my house while I'm away I'll be happy for now!

 

[cobgoblin]

You can get battery operated lamps with timers, or you could try those solar garden lights. If you want to bring them into lay, I think they only need about a 15w light but you'll need to build up the amount of time you leave it on for.

 

[dollyanna]

I don't want them to lay, quite happy for them to have their natural cycle and have a rest from laying (they only stop for a couple of months anyway, and one carried on laying throughout last winter). But will bear it in mind as a possible means of encouraging them home to roost.

 

[applecart14]

I cleaned and washed their house in case it was something inside biting them, but no sign of anything and no change to their behaviour.


Any ideas?

Red mite? Have you dusted the corners of their housing and reguarly dusted your hens? This would be enough to make them unwilling to live in their housing as they bite the hens and draw blood, and drive them nuts.

Other than that I can only assume it could be rats that are around.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

how high are their roosts in their house?

 

[dollyanna]

Roosts are as high as they can be in the house, and the house is raised - and they have been perfectly happy with them for 2 years so I can't see how it would be that.
When it rained the other day they all magically came to bed by themselves :-D I have at least managed to stop them escaping over the fence of the garden now, and they can't escape the run as long as I am homein time to shut them in (otherwise I have to fish them out of the hedges) although one night I lost Lily and only found her the next morning as she sang to me from the top of an entirely different fence that they've never ever shown an interest in!!
They are funny creatures. Teasel has virtually no feathers yet still manages to fly up the wall. They do all huddle at one end of the house now whereas they used to spread out more unless it was really cold, so I am trying to think what might have worried them from the other end - there are mice in their run but no sign of them in the house itself and no sign of rats at all. I do have voles but not sure what they would do to chickens to scare them, and again, once shut in the voles wouldn't have access.
There is a cat that is coming in the garden more regularly (not happy about that at all, scratched my dog so he now has severe necrosis as a result) but would a cat worry them that much? They don't seem bothered when it's there during the day.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

maybe they are just rebellious

I know several poultry breeders who's stock roost in trees-some breeds are notorious for it. The main problem seems to be predation as they are very susceptible at first light.

 

[applecart14]

Roosts are as high as they can be in the house, and the house is raised - and they have been perfectly happy with them for 2 years so I can't see how it would be that.
When it rained the other day they all magically came to bed by themselves :-D I have at least managed to stop them escaping over the fence of the garden now, and they can't escape the run as long as I am homein time to shut them in (otherwise I have to fish them out of the hedges) although one night I lost Lily and only found her the next morning as she sang to me from the top of an entirely different fence that they've never ever shown an interest in!!
They are funny creatures. Teasel has virtually no feathers yet still manages to fly up the wall. They do all huddle at one end of the house now whereas they used to spread out more unless it was really cold, so I am trying to think what might have worried them from the other end - there are mice in their run but no sign of them in the house itself and no sign of rats at all. I do have voles but not sure what they would do to chickens to scare them, and again, once shut in the voles wouldn't have access.
There is a cat that is coming in the garden more regularly (not happy about that at all, scratched my dog so he now has severe necrosis as a result) but would a cat worry them that much? They don't seem bothered when it's there during the day.

Sorry but you didn't reply to my red mite theory. Do you not honestly think it may be that?

 

[dollyanna]

I did earlier, we have washed and treated the house for mites, it was the first thing I thought of

 

[Clodagh]

I have dutch bantams, who are very 'roosty' birds. If something upsets them, mites for instance, and they move out they will then not move back in again, unless you get really bad weather.
I would make sure your run is really secure, with no perches, and shut them in for a week or more. Clip their wings really tight to the wingbone and see if that works.