Silkies won't roost

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Basketcasewool

Basketcasewool

Hatching
5 Years
Jul 15, 2014
3
0
7
I recently acquired 4 silkie babies. Best guess is that they are around 6 weeks old. I have them in a chicken tractor. They have the loft style nesting box. The refuse to go up at night. I have to pick them up and place them in. They stay there once placed. Last night, after a very long day I forgot to put them up there and when I heard rain at 4 in the morning I went down to see if they had gone up and they were sitting huddled together soaking wet. There is a ladder and I know they can use it because they are up and down it all day. Are they just too young to know what to do or just too stubborn? I can't decide. I have had many other breeds and they have roosted even at a young age. I have never dealt with this breed nor have I used a chicken tractor before. Any help would be appreciated. Oh, we have tried the light thing and that hasn't worked.
 
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I am having similar problems with two 15 week old Sizzles (half Silkie, half Frizzle) that I have. I have read that it's important to keep new chicks in their coop 24/7 for about a week to make sure they know where to return at night. I'm doing this, and last night I did find that one of them at least went IN to her coop at night and I didn't have to pick her up off the ground and put her in. She wasn't on the roosting perch, but I'm thinking that's at least a step in the right direction. Maybe something like this might help? Good luck!
 
I love my Silkies, but saying they are slow is a bit of an understatement. If they're using the ramp during the day, they'll eventually get it. You just have to be diligent about putting them up until they figure it out. And, mine "roost" but only about 10 inches off the ground. They aren't the best flyers, and most of mine seem to prefer to keep close to the ground
smile.png
 
I put a solar powered land scape light in the coop each night for a few nights and my 3 month old americaunas finally went inside at dusk. Then of course they wanted to sleep and poop in the nest boxes:(
They would not roost on the bar. I covered the nest boxes with plastic place mats but they would sleep and pop on those. I tried curtains to hide the nest boxes from view. NO help!
I visited the lady I bought them from....she laughed quietly about my curtains. ..then she told me to build them a small ladder so they can mosey on up to the roosting bar. "They don't like having to hop up there"
So I nailed a few scrap pieces of quarter round to a small piece of ply wood and leaned it ramp style against the roosting bar. It worked instantly! Next morning no more poop on the placemats!!! Good luck to you.
 
Because silkies cannot fly and are terrible at jumping up to roost , they usually just sit on the floor and huddle, even as adults mine bar one refuse to roost and the roost is only 8 inches off the ground. I would suggest a tractor that isn't a lofted one, also silkies arnt water proof like others are are susceptible to hypothermia and sickness if they get wet and cold.
 

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