1 silkie with 5 chickens - what will the silkie do at night

[nkkennedy]

So I just moved my 6 chicks (about 2 months old) into their new chicken coop. I noticed recently, that all of the chicks were sleeping up on the higher roost bar at night. While the silkie is sleep alone on the floor, hiding under the hanging feeder. Tonight I actually lifted the silkie up to a shelf right next to the other chickens so they can all cuddle together, its about a foot of their coop floor, which is covered in shavings. Do you think she will be okay up there?

Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

If it is only a foot off the floor she'll be OK. This is typical silkie behavior...sometimes they will start roosting and sometimes they won't. Depends on the silkie. I would say that if you give her a little block to stand on to hop on up to the roost that might help (like a concrete block). That is what I am giving my silkies now and they use it to roost with the other hens.

Silkies by themselves love to huddle together on the floor I have noticed- some of the ones I used to have. Then I have had a couple of silkies that NEVER liked to roost. They were on that floor no matter what!

 

[kbh82310]

My 4 love to roost during the day to just hang out or take naps but at night they huddle in a corner. The roost are a foot and a ill over a foot high and they have no problems getting up or down. The babies are about the same age as yours, they will be 7 weeks sun.

 

[nkkennedy]

Thanks for the reply! I will try adding something so she can jump up there with the rest of the flock! They are silly little guys! I probably should have gotten two so she has a buddy.

 

[nkkennedy]

good to know! Hopefully she figures out how to get up there. I felt so bad seeing her in the dark corner all by her self. Maybe once shes a little bigger she will be able to hop up.

 

[kbh82310]

Mine used a rock my hubby put in there the first couple times but once they figured it out they stopped using it. The breeder we got ours from had about 10 pens with silkies and only 2 had roost and he said he just stopped putting them in cause only 6 of his 50+ silkies actually use them. So it's possible she just isn't the roosting type

 

[nkkennedy]

Thanks, she does seem to roost when I put her up with the other chickens. But each night I always find her under their feeder. I hope she's okay sleeping alone. Especially in the winter.

 

[Rednizzle]

I made a ramp for mine and she gets right up with the big girls every night on her own. Turns out she just didn't have the hopping ability the others do. I made the ramp with and open wood frame and surfaced it with chicken wire so the poop from above can fall through.

 

[nkkennedy]

That was smart! I tried a ramp at first but she couldn't figure it out. She did figure out how to use the lower roost bar, so she has been hanging there.