Keeping silkie out of nest boxes at night?

[sunnychickville]

My two silkies insist on sleeping in one of the nest boxes. My others kinds roost at night (higher than the nest boxes). I read that silkies just like to pile up. What should i provide them that is more attractive than the nest boxes? I've kicked them out, but they just return.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

How old are they? How high are your roosts? If they aren't old enough to lay heat than block off the boxes.

 

[sunnychickville]

The coop is raised... From the coop floor, the boxes are 8", and the roosts are 18" and 24". I have 9 hens/pullets between 4 months and 9 months. One silkie is laying. Two egg boxes are clean and used for laying. One is dirty because of the sleeping silkies, and eggs rarely appear there.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

How big is the coop? It's possible the silkies are getting bullied and are hiding in the nestboxes because of it. What other breeds are they kept with? Silkies often don't do well mixed with standard breeds.

 

[sunnychickville]

Hmm... The coop is 4x8 but it's just for sleeping as they free-range from sun up til they choose to go in. The others are:

3 ayam cemani
2 barbezieux
1 bresse
1 Orpington

One silkie hatched with the Bresse and the other with the cemanis. The Orpington occasionally picks on the smallest cemani, but otherwise they all get along well and have other favorite hideouts like the patio or under the shed.

 

[sunnychickville]

I was thinking i should give them a dedicated sleeping zone inside the coop, but I'm worried it'll look like a nest to everyone else and I'll be back where i started... Is there some setup where silkies really like to sleep that doesn't look like a nest?? Would they like a really really low roost? My coop has a ramp only because they are bad at jumping.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

For my bantams the first roost is about 8 inches off the ground with about that much hop up space. Silkies will drop like rocks if they misstep, so maybe redesigning the roost could help, that combined with you going out at dusk and placing them on a roost for the night for a few nights to retrain them.

Also what are you using for roosts? Mine like 2x4 with the 2 up.

 

[sunnychickville]

Mine are 2x2. I was thinking of piling the straw higher under the short coop. These things are hard to redesign!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You could use bricks or chunks of wood like a piece of 6x6 or logs to create steps.