Don't get me wrong, I Love my silkies BUT

[FreckleFace]

How funny - we have the same issue with our little flock of silkies. It took them a couple of weeks to figure out the ramp, but I still have one little straggler who is hopelessly confused by it! Every evening at dusk I hear her chirping frantically and running around looking for her buddies who have all gone up the ramp and put themselves to bed. If I leave her out until dark in the hopes that she will find her way into the hen house, she just curls up in the yard and goes to sleep. When I carry her inside she cuddles right up with her favorite hen and seems relieved. I'm hoping she'll do this on her own soon!

 

[Bengalcats1]

Quote:
Haha, I have 10 that frantically chirp when it's getting dark and not ONE knows how the heck to go up a ramp, so I find a silkie pile and I wait till it's Dark to give them the benefit of the doubt

 

[sadies chicks]

Quote:
If you want them to roost, when they come in at night and are getting settled down, pick them up and place them on the roost until their feet grab on. It may take a few nights of you showing them what you want them to do. I had to train my Lola when I had to get rid of her bothers. They all used to puddle in the corner and once they were gone she was sleeping in the corner all by herself

so I picked her up and placed her next to the big girls and she sleeps with them on the roost every night now

I think with her it only took one night, but I check every night to make sure she is with the girls.

good luck!!!

 

[ChooksinChoppers]

I think somebody needs to invent Silkie elevators!

or escalators or convayer belts

yeah..that would move em right along up

 

[Bengalcats1]

Quote:
If you want them to roost, when they come in at night and are getting settled down, pick them up and place them on the roost until their feet grab on. It may take a few nights of you showing them what you want them to do. I had to train my Lola when I had to get rid of her bothers. They all used to puddle in the corner and once they were gone she was sleeping in the corner all by herself

so I picked her up and placed her next to the big girls and she sleeps with them on the roost every night now

I think with her it only took one night, but I check every night to make sure she is with the girls.

good luck!!!

I don't even care if they ever perch, I'd throw a party if they go in the coop!

 

[sadies chicks]

Quote:
If you want them to roost, when they come in at night and are getting settled down, pick them up and place them on the roost until their feet grab on. It may take a few nights of you showing them what you want them to do. I had to train my Lola when I had to get rid of her bothers. They all used to puddle in the corner and once they were gone she was sleeping in the corner all by herself

so I picked her up and placed her next to the big girls and she sleeps with them on the roost every night now

I think with her it only took one night, but I check every night to make sure she is with the girls.

good luck!!!

I don't even care if they ever perch, I'd throw a party if they go in the coop!

I personally think it is the cutest thing to have silkie puddles

I just made Lola perch so she wouldn't be lonely. I have 3 new silkies I am introducing after their quarantine so I hope they all fall in to a puddle again!!

It's so cute!!

 

[hearthnsoul]

We added 6 silkies, 2 months back and I have to say At first we chicken wired off a section for them in the coop which also means they had their own side of the ramp to go in. When they were bigger we removed and it took them some time to figure it out. For a while my husband had to go down and place them all in and even on their perches. Took a week or two of this for them to get it, but even now all the silkies including the two we already had are always out til there is barely any light left out there. One of them won't go in until the ducks are in and settled down.

 

[leadwolf1]

Quote:
If you want them to roost, when they come in at night and are getting settled down, pick them up and place them on the roost until their feet grab on. It may take a few nights of you showing them what you want them to do. I had to train my Lola when I had to get rid of her bothers. They all used to puddle in the corner and once they were gone she was sleeping in the corner all by herself

so I picked her up and placed her next to the big girls and she sleeps with them on the roost every night now

I think with her it only took one night, but I check every night to make sure she is with the girls.

good luck!!!

Thanks for the advice...I can't believe I didn't think of that myself. They all just look so comfy in their silky pile

Tonight, I was late getting home. Brother-in-law in town and we went out to dinner. I was hyperventilating thinking about my babies being out in the dark and rain. I ran, yes, literally ran, to the coop...all my babies were inside, even all but two of my silkies

These are the babies, they are only 9 weeks old and have been in the coop for about 10 days!!

Whew....

 

[Bengalcats1]

My understanding was that silkies don't usually like to roost? I wasn't even thinking about the roosting part

 

[sadies chicks]

Quote:
If you want them to roost, when they come in at night and are getting settled down, pick them up and place them on the roost until their feet grab on. It may take a few nights of you showing them what you want them to do. I had to train my Lola when I had to get rid of her bothers. They all used to puddle in the corner and once they were gone she was sleeping in the corner all by herself

so I picked her up and placed her next to the big girls and she sleeps with them on the roost every night now

I think with her it only took one night, but I check every night to make sure she is with the girls.

good luck!!!

Thanks for the advice...I can't believe I didn't think of that myself. They all just look so comfy in their silky pile

Tonight, I was late getting home. Brother-in-law in town and we went out to dinner. I was hyperventilating thinking about my babies being out in the dark and rain. I ran, yes, literally ran, to the coop...all my babies were inside, even all but two of my silkies

These are the babies, they are only 9 weeks old and have been in the coop for about 10 days!!

Whew....

Glad to hear it! They will surprise you sometimes

and they look TOTALLY comfy in their piles, I tell DH that I wish I was 3 inches tall so I could cuddle and snug up with the silkies at night