Help with silkie coop

[taprock]

I have a large coop 10 x 12 and a small coop 4 x 8 with lots of roost space. This year is my first year with silkies, showgirls and sizzles. I have four birds that puppy pile on the floor to sleep and will not roost. As a result they frequently pick a spot they end up pooped on. I really want to build them a place of their own. I am in the far north of Michigan with cold winters. I am looking for ideas about what to build for these little guys. Can anyone give me some ideas what to do different for them?

 

[hokankai]

Could you just do a poop board under the roost to prevent them from getting pooped on? Mine pile in the corner and I just make a point of putting extra shavings where they snuggle and cleaning that spot more often. They life in their regular coop with a ramp just fine!

 

[LaPetiteFarmer]

Could you just do a poop board under the roost to prevent them from getting pooped on? Mine pile in the corner and I just make a point of putting extra shavings where they snuggle and cleaning that spot more often. They life in their regular coop with a ramp just fine!

X2

 

[Sparky2133]

Since silkies can't fly (at all) you would either need a poop board mentioned above or a really low roost.

 

[NovaAman]

Well, I have a different perspective on that, tap... Roger roosted 5 feet off the ground in the summer coop. The white hen I got from mom at chicken stock roosts in the big coop, 3 feet up. Guess I should note that the coop is only 4 feet high inside. Belle roosted 6 feet up in the garage. So, I guess though, they were shown how. I do use the wider roost boards.

If you'd rather keep them in the same coop as the other birds, maybe the poop board could be an option. Or maybe a wide, low roost the is against the wall but not under the others so they don't get pooped on.

An insulated dog house with a hinged roof and a door, on a homemade frame to bring it up off the ground a foot or two with a longer walk up... That's what I started with when I got my first silkies..