Ok, Here's what I'm doing. Building a 6x4 coop with a slanted roof 4 ft tall at lowest point. Questions are... since it'll be for silkies (maybe a few other bantams down the line) what should I do for nesting boxes? I'd like to keep the building simple so I was thinking boxes inside the coop, is that advisable? How many? I have 6 str8 run silkies coming next week. How high should I put the roost? How much head room needed and how far from the back wall? I think that's all for now... TIA
You could have just one next box for six chickens, but two is a better number so there's no fighting over access. As for the roost, make sure it's higher than the nest boxes. So perhaps nest boxes at 10" high, roost at 24" high. I'd leave at least a foot for head room and to keep the chickens out of the worst of the hot air that gets trapped under a roof.
My Silkie doesn't like to roost high. Right now all my chickens roost in te regular spot and she roosts on the edge of the plastic pan (about 4" tall on the sides) i have tucked in the corner for her nest box. She doesn't fly up to the roosts outside or to hop in the regular wall-mounted nest boxes. She is my only Silkie, so maybe it's just her. Still, maybe a ladder type roost setup would be helpful, and if the nest boxes are up high, they may like a ladder to get up there too.
Hi my son and I have had silkies for a while now and they very rarely use a nesting box and i have yet to own one who likes to perch on a roost tho sometimes in the winter they will hop up on a 2x4 thats elevated a couple of inches ....they like to huddle together and keep warm and i have bought them lovely low nesting boxes and they still wont use them they just pull the nest material out...enjoy them as they are such little characters
If you're building the house for Silkies, you don't really need a roost. Most Silkies like to sleep on the floor, all piled together. When Silkies are very young, they sometimes roost, but all of mine outgrew it. As for nest boxes, they need to be on the floor; two should be sufficient. Remember~~Silkies can't fly.
Most silkie's dont roost very high and tend to group.I do have one showgirl this time that suprisingly is picking a box a couple of feet off the ground.My other group which house in a nother coop have always slept ground level.Coco my one hen she did sit several egg's in a bottom nest box.Even though she hatched a few OEGB chick's they still are cuddling with her in a corner now at 2 month's old.I have an old coffee table in the one coop and 4 roo's just roost on that which is about 2 feet tall.I have found best for silkies just throw some hay or bedding in a corner or something and they will be happy.
My silkies recently moved from a separate coop into the big coop. Now they want to be as high up as everyone else.
