Helllo from a Nubie...Need input from Silkie owners

[O.C.Chick]

Hello and thank you to everyone for your valuable advice and information in this forum!!! I have been reading & learning here for awhile and have almost completed my 30" x 5' chicken run in which I plan to have 3 to five Silkie pullets (if I could EVER get ANY of the local breeders to resond to my e-mails!!!)

Questions for you silkie experts out there:

1. I have not built my roost yet...I have read that silkies do not like to be high up. Is this true? I was planning on building a ramp that goes to a sunny area about 6 feet above the ground. Will they use it? I am also building a nesting house/ shelter that will be about 4 feet tall by 5 feet wide and two feet deep...Any input would be great!!!

2. Does anyone have suggestions on reading specifically on silkies? I have all of the popular books on bantams, raising chickens, etc., but cant find very much breed specific information aside from that on this website /forum and MyPetChicken website. Any resources for breed-specific information that is more comprehensive???

3. Does anyone have leads on where I might find silkies within driving distance from Orange County (So Cal, anywhere between San Diego and Los Angeles).

I will post pictures of my coop-in-progress on www.florafauna.info

Thank you all so much for any information or suggestions you can provide!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Sincerely,

Alyssa

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

Welcome to BYC. I can't help you with your questions, but I know someone on here will. Just wanted to welcome you to the site. Happy Thanksgiving to you too.

 

[CountryMom]

I am no expert by any means. However, everything I have read says that Silkie perches need to be no higher than 18 inches off the ground. Now, my Silkies for now are living in the main coop with all the rest of our chickens. Their perch is about 36 inches off the ground. I also have half an old pool ladder at one end of the perch. So, a couple of our Silkies will climb up that ladder and roost with the rest. The younger crowd likes to either pile up in a corner of the coop or take over a nest box for the night. My next project is to build their own personal coop. They will have all nest boxes low and their perches low also. Oh and I think I will put in a ramp for the entrance to their run. Silkies do fly, but they cannot get off the ground very far.

edited to say...

 

[chickflick]

I guess if you don't have any thing but silkies it's safe to have a low roost. I have two silkies mixed with standard, and they roost on the 5 ft high roost. Other people have said their silkies don't like to roost and others said they use low roosts.

 

[BFeathered]

Poulets de Cajun or the SilkieChick- bet they can help you out! Yo! Where's all the Evil Silkie folks tonite?

 

[beautifulbirds]

Hi there, I have silkies (they are gorgeous wee souls) in answer to your questions; you need to plan for both high and low silkies, by that I mean that it depends on what their mothers have taught them. I have some who roost 6 feet off the ground and others who think they can't get up there and so sleep on the ground (I always lift them up to about waist height and give them the edge of the nesting box to roost on, which they seem to like). So do both.

 

[spook]

No silkies here...but a big welcome to BYC! You will learn lots on here about everything, so much good information!

 

[LivingFate]

Welcome! I'm no expert but just wanted to chime in that my silkies don't roost. I've tried putting them up there but its just not there thing apparently...Food for thought

 

[O.C.Chick]

Thank you all SO much for your input and kind words!!! I was thinking of a plan where I can have both high and low roosts separated by a ramp...That way they can choose how high they want to go. Hopefully I can encourage them to climb to the high point, which gets the most full sun in the winter...Otherwise I will have to set up a light (Which I will probably do anyway, just to make the days seem longer.) I'll post pictures as I get further along.

THANKS AGAIN AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

Sincerely,

Alyssa

 

[O.C.Chick]

OOPS...I just read my original post and I meant to say that my coop is 30 FEET long, NOT 30"!!! Not saying much for my carpentry skills...Measure once, cut twice???