silkie sleeping question...

[lilchicklover]

sorry if this is in the wrong section but im a newbie

.. im building a coop for big breed chickens ( brahmas, orpington..) but im also getting 2 silkies! i have heard that they dont like to roost is that true? if it is should i make a little place on the floor for them to snuggle up in together (not stuff in together. they would have plenty of space). Sorry i read many different things on silkies and im still kind of confused. i live in North Carolina so the winters arent terribly harsh if that helps

Thanks in advance!!

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

Some do, some don't. I find that the hatchery Silkies prefer to roost with the big birds if they're able to climb up there with them. Sometimes they have a tough time if the roost is high and/or steep. My higher-end stock aren't offered a roost but many say that if theirs are, they prefer not to use it anyway. Mine do sleep in a big pile at night.

Winters can be tough here in NY, too. Both types of Silkies do well. When our hatchery girl doesn't feel in the mood for roosting with her fam, she takes refuge in a nest.

 

[ncstatechick]

Hi! Welcome to BYC, Im new here too!
Where do you live in NC, Im in Raleigh.

 

[teach1rusl]

Well maybe that's it then - cause my silkies are hatchery stock, and they DO roost, although their roost is only about 24 inches high (plus there's a ladder). I've read of a lot more silkies roosting when they're part of a mixed flock rather than solely with silkies. I love using a dropping board in my coop, so I was thrilled that my little silkies do roost

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

It also has to do with how good they are at jumping/balancing.

The more coordinated the bird, the greater the chances that you'll have a roost-er. It's an individual thing...when you're a little Silkie in an active layer flock, you sometimes pick up on what you have to do to fit in.

 

[zengrrl]

My silkies all flop on the floor with my polish roo but I'm going to offer them the option of low roosts when the big coop is finished.

 

[Eggcessive]

I just put my chicks to bed. The silkies are in with full size chicks all 5 1/2 weeks old, and they are all roosting on a 2 foot tall gate separating them from my 7 1/2 week old chicks in the coop. The silkies have been roosting on lower roosts before but this is the fist time they have been up there with th bigger girls. Of course the older chicks are fighting over the top roost of 4 levels across the coop.

 

[lilchicklover]

Thanks this helps alot!! And im near Asheville nc.