What to do ... Chicken sleeping in nesting box

[dunnmom]

My silkie sleeps in a nest box. She often is the last one in at night. I have two Bantams that were my originals and 4 other birds that were introduced the same time as the silkie but as she is so small maybe she feels intimated by the others.

She has always slept in a nest box. I thought this was just because she couldn't jump on the perch. She had very damaged feathers when I got her as she was used for breeding and had a rough time of it with the roosters.

Do you think I should try to get her out of this habit by putting her on a perch? She can jump now as she has grown her feathers back. She is a very stubborn girl though so don't known if she will stay on a perch. What do you guys think?

Would be worth a try. With my girls it's usually just been a short phase, so I wouldn't know if it would work for your Silkie. My mom had a Silkie who did not sleep with the others. Turns out she was being bullied when my mom wasn't watching, lowest on the pecking order, and slept separately as a result of that. So, I guess I would try it if I were you, but I'd also be vigilantly watching the way the others are treating her.

 

[HanBrand]

Would be worth a try. With my girls it's usually just been a short phase, so I wouldn't know if it would work for your Silkie. My mom had a Silkie who did not sleep with the others. Turns out she was being bullied when my mom wasn't watching, lowest on the pecking order, and slept separately as a result of that. So, I guess I would try it if I were you, but I'd also be vigilantly watching the way the others are treating her.

Yeah I think she does get picked on a bit. My two original Bantams were awful to my silkie when I introduced the 5 new birds. Both of them would gang up on my silkie and the same time. Really mean. They all seems to have settled in now. I guess she is just as the bottom on the pecking order and its just easier for her to be on her own. Annoying though as she poops in the nest boxes.

 

[HanBrand]

Definitely!! I did it last night and so far so good just was debating if I was doing the right thing. It is a little harder for me to cover the nesting boxes but this is also a first me for. If it become a problem I will think about making a cover.



I was always told to have them on the roosting bar. (Hence my dilemma as well regarding my chicken.) A while back when I got 2 new pullets, at night I had to actually place them on the roosting bar. I found it easier to place them there after dark. Everyone was sleeping so it went a lot smoother. It took about a week before they stood their ground and didn't get pushed off. I hope that helped but I don't know if someone has any better ideas

I might give that a go then. Picking up my silkie after dark and they are all settled to see if she will get used to the perch instead of the nest box. None of my chickens seems to have a favourite place to sleep anymore so hopefully they will let her join in. Thanks

 

[dunnmom]

I hope you can find a solution that will work for everyone. If roost training doesn't work, there are other options that may work out better. Give it your best shot and some time for her to settle into a different habit, so long as she isn't getting bullied to the point of blood shed. If that happens, don't hesitate to come back to the forums for more help and support.