Coop designs for Silkies

[TJAnonymous]

I am considering making a new coop for my Silkies (in the incubator now). My current coop is 8x10. There are 10 nesting boxes, 5 of which are right on the ground. I have 4 roosts at varying heights from 18" all the way up to 5 ft, along with a ladder roost whose first rung is probably 6 inches off the ground. However, my current coop has 30 birds in it. They have plenty of room to spread out so there hasn't been any squabbling, but the snow storms we received this week convinced me that I probably should NOT add any more birds to this coop.

So I am browsing coop ideas that would be ideal for Silkies. Right now, I'm thinking I may end up keeping somewhere between 4 - 8 Silkies out of the batch I'm incubating so it would need to be big enough for that many birds.

Please share pictures or ideas....

 

[Farm life101]

We built a duck hut that is I think 10x10, of course you would have to customize it more towards chickens but I can get pictures of it and exact measurements in the morning. I would think for 8 silkies that a 10x10 would be plenty of room but if they free range I think a 5x5 would be good. I know silkies (at least mine lol) have a lot more trouble flying since they are fur and feathers so I would say to keep the perches no higher than a foot, although both my silkies prefer to just lay on the edge of the raised part of the coop rather than the perches. They also don’t do as well with heat and cold as your normal feathered chicken would so maybe try to add either ventilation or a well sectioned off area in the coop depending on your climate. Hope this helps!

 

[TJAnonymous]

We built a duck hut that is I think 10x10, of course you would have to customize it more towards chickens but I can get pictures of it and exact measurements in the morning. I would think for 8 silkies that a 10x10 would be plenty of room but if they free range I think a 5x5 would be good. I know silkies (at least mine lol) have a lot more trouble flying since they are fur and feathers so I would say to keep the perches no higher than a foot, although both my silkies prefer to just lay on the edge of the raised part of the coop rather than the perches. They also don’t do as well with heat and cold as your normal feathered chicken would so maybe try to add either ventilation or a well sectioned off area in the coop depending on your climate. Hope this helps!

I have a coop design in mind but would love to see what others have done. I might change mine to match! Can you share any pictures of your setup?

 

[TJAnonymous]

Here's a close-up of the coop I have in mind. I added a low roost (6 inches off the ground) at the suggestion of another Silkie owner. The broody & nesting boxes are also ground level.

 

[Farm life101]

I have a coop design in mind but would love to see what others have done. I might change mine to match! Can you share any pictures of your setup?

Of course, ignore the rat trap though lol

 

[TJAnonymous]

Of course, ignore the rat trap though lol View attachment 2539149View attachment 2539150View attachment 2539151View attachment 2539152

No worries... All part of farm life... Thank you for sharing pictures... I like seeing different options and knowing what worked for others

 

[MCrickett]

Is it true they dont like ramps that much? Mine seem to be fine with levels at 4 weeks! I also feel it would more than interesting for them so it not boring in a contained area so they feel happy

 

[RuthBaderGinsbird]

Is it true they dont like ramps that much? Mine seem to be fine with levels at 4 weeks! I also feel it would more than interesting for them so it not boring in a contained area so they feel happy

Did you end up using a ramp in your coop and do they use it? I'm building a coop now and have one silkie in a flock of four, it seems like she has figured out levels too (jumps up on the roost with others at least) so I'm hoping we can use a ramp.