Chicken Roosting issues

[Bevann]

I just got three silkies from my next doe neighbor as they are moving. They only used a wire pen with no roosting area or nesting boxes. We have given them a nice coop with roost sand box for eggs. One is laying eggs in box, one is using grass and not going to box and none are going to roost at night. They are huddling on the ground. They are all a little over a year old - I am new to chickens so I am learning as I go. Will they learn to use roost and box ? Is there something I can do to help them? Any help will be appreciated.

 

[Judy]

I have read here that it's not unusual for Silkies not to roost at all.

 

[pdirt]

You might try moving them after they go to "roost" on the ground, put them up on a roost, in the dark. Many times a week or two of this type of "re-training" will work, but it might be harder since they are over a year old. Doesn't hurt to try. As for training them to lay where you want, you can place a real or fake egg in the box and be sure to show them it's there. If they still don't get it, place them on the real or fake egg, repeatedly until they get it up to a week or two,. With Silkies, you run the chance of them going broody by doing this last one, but there's a good chance it will re-train them. If they do go broody, make sure they are no longer sitting on any eggs. If they don't snap out of it after a week or so, you might have to start pulling them from the box and making them do something else. I've even clapped my hands to startle them before, to snap them out of it.

 

[Muttpuppy]

Hi, just as Judy said, not all Silkies like to roost. Ours just "dog pile" in the corner of the coop. Also remember that they can't fly so the roost would only need to be a few inches high.(to help keep from injury). Silkies are such quirky birds, don't worry they may just take a while to realize where to go to bed. Ours still wait outside the coop for us to put them in once in a while. Hope everything works out for ya!!

 

[Bevann]

Thanks everyone for responses - guess I'll just work with them and see what happens.