Omlet coop for silkies

[MaxMom]

Hi!! I have three silkies and one sizzle chick I have a coop from we used to use for standard sized chickens and its a great coop so I'd like to use it for my new flock. It's an omlet cube with a nice long run. My specific question is, will they be able to use the ramp that comes with it? It seems somewhat high off the ground to me.

Also, I'd like to enlarge their run with a walk-in size caged area. Any recommendations?

Thanks!!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Silkies don't usually like ramps, but if you want to have the best chance at success here, I'd recommend keeping the food inside the coop and not helping them down the ramp. They will hopefully make it back up themselves. I used to keep some silkies in a chick-n-hutch with enclosed walls that I had made. They were not wanting to up and down the ramp. A shed is tops for silkies.

As for a run extension for silkies, I personally would say a dog kennel (line the bottom part of the fencing with chicken wire so that the silkies cannot be pulled through the fence by raccoons or owls- the chain link is large enough for this to happen, and happen it does). You would want of course to cover the top with some kind of netting to protect from hawks.

I am assuming that you close your coop door at night. The dog kennel wouldn't be predator proof as coons can climb.

Additionally, you can apron out some hardware cloth at the bottom of the kennel if you aren't moving it around (or even if you are, just don't bury it) to deter digging predators.

 

[MaxMom]

Thanks! I really appreciate the suggestions I might be able to lower the coop to the ground and forgo the ramp. The chicken wire is a great idea. We have plenty of predators around here. I will definitely close them in at night too.

Thanks!!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Thanks! I really appreciate the suggestions

I might be able to lower the coop to the ground and forgo the ramp. The chicken wire is a great idea. We have plenty of predators around here. I will definitely close them in at night too.

Thanks!!

Oh I forgot to say that chicken wire is what I have used on top of chain link as a layer, but hardware cloth 1/2 inch is the best stuff to use, and the only predator proof stuff there is. I used chicken wire since my runs are never predator proof- only the coop is. It seemed good enough, and did work, at keeping more owls from grabbing my chicks through the chain link.