Help, our Silkies hate the egloo cube

MelHam

Hatching
Jun 21, 2021
1
1
6
Hi chicken community,
We have 10 week old silkie chicks. We’ve been raising them in the house from 3 weeks of age. For the past two weeks we put them in the egloo cube coop in the morning and bring them in at night. They refuse to go up the stairs into the coop. When we put them in the coop they fall down the steps. They seem terrified of the coop and don’t seem to know how to grab the floor in the roosting area. Last night, instead of carrying all 6 back into the house, we put them all in the coop for the night. This morning we found them unable to move along the roosting floor (if you’ve seen this coop you will know what I mean) and their legs were stuck between the bars. Has anyone had this issue with silkies and did you find a solution to getting them to love the stairs and the coop? This is our first foray as chicken keepers and we need advice.
thanks!
 
Im unfamiliar with that coop, but typically you would lock them inside the coop for a few days to a week so they learn that where they are to go at night.

Is the ramp smooth? It should have raised treads to provide traction.

Sorry, like i said unfamiliar with that specific coop and speaking in generalities.
 
If one simply searches this commercially made coop you'll see plenty of pics of them online and what the issues might be with the ramp and the flooring.

I've seen two versions of stairs for these coops, both are very ladder-like instead of a ramp design. Because they're only 10wk old and you've been moving them daily instead of forcing them to adapt to their home, they likely just need more time to figure out how to hop up/down the rungs until they're big enough to "step" between them.
I'm guessing this is your version since you didn't mention the birds having to hop up to the first rung
1624381892993.png


Floor is a flow-through design with big slots and a catch tray underneath it. I can definitely see how a foot could pass through it, but likely just a situation of monkey's hand in the jar where they haven't figured out how to pull it back out yet. Probably just need more time to figure out where to put their feet. In the meantime perhaps put a couple sheets of newspaper or a sheet of cardboard over it until the birds are bigger where their feet don't want to pass through so easily - or just let them figure it out naturally.
1624381929930.png
 
If one simply searches this commercially made coop you'll see plenty of pics of them online and what the issues might be with the ramp and the flooring.

I've seen two versions of stairs for these coops, both are very ladder-like instead of a ramp design. Because they're only 10wk old and you've been moving them daily instead of forcing them to adapt to their home, they likely just need more time to figure out how to hop up/down the rungs until they're big enough to "step" between them.
I'm guessing this is your version since you didn't mention the birds having to hop up to the first rung
View attachment 2729971

Floor is a flow-through design with big slots and a catch tray underneath it. I can definitely see how a foot could pass through it, but likely just a situation of monkey's hand in the jar where they haven't figured out how to pull it back out yet. Probably just need more time to figure out where to put their feet. In the meantime perhaps put a couple sheets of newspaper or a sheet of cardboard over it until the birds are bigger where their feet don't want to pass through so easily - or just let them figure it out naturally.
View attachment 2729973
The floor base brothers me a lot!
 
Hi chicken community,
We have 10 week old silkie chicks. We’ve been raising them in the house from 3 weeks of age. For the past two weeks we put them in the egloo cube coop in the morning and bring them in at night. They refuse to go up the stairs into the coop. When we put them in the coop they fall down the steps. They seem terrified of the coop and don’t seem to know how to grab the floor in the roosting area. Last night, instead of carrying all 6 back into the house, we put them all in the coop for the night. This morning we found them unable to move along the roosting floor (if you’ve seen this coop you will know what I mean) and their legs were stuck between the bars. Has anyone had this issue with silkies and did you find a solution to getting them to love the stairs and the coop? This is our first foray as chicken keepers and we need advice.
thanks!
I would consider this roosting floor as dangerous, as little legs or toes can easily get caught and strained or even broken.

And if the picture of the ladder @perkolator posted is what your Silkies have to deal with, it is similarly unsuitable.


Silkies have different requirements than "normal" chickens: https://vjppoultry.com/2018/06/06/building-a-coop-for-silkie-chickens/
 
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Also, I've found that Silkies are much different than normal chickens when it comes to going vertical. They can hop short distances onto platforms but none of mine will "roost" like my standard breeds do. They sleep on the floor instead. They are fully capable of getting to a low roost that is accessible via plywood ramp (not stairs), but they still choose not to roost up there. Some people with Silkies have a different experience but I've gathered through careful research online that it is pretty common for them not to roost. I took this into account when designing a special coop for my Silkies.

Honestly, I think your coop would be great for other breeds but just isn't suitable for Silkies.
 
I've got the Eglu Cube as well, with a RIR and two Red Stars in it. I think that your issue sounds like the Silkies aren't big enough to deal with the floor rack and ladder. Once they get larger, they *might* be able to use it well, but 10 weeks sounds pretty young to put in an Eglu.

Are you using an Autodoor? If you are, stop! They aren't made for chicks under 18 weeks.
 

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