silkies afraid of heights

[kasey08]

i have a coop that i just threw together out of a cabinet up on blocks, i made a ladder to it but its also low enough they can jump on in. i have white silkies that love it. but i got blue silkies and the hens where afraid to get in it. they ended up laying eggs on the ground in front of it. so i put a dog house in there and they used it. im planing on making them a better one tall enough that i dont have to bend down to get the eggs also outside of the run. my question is how will i get them to use the new one. its going to be taller then the old one. also how big does it need to be for about 4-5 hens and a roo? think i would need 3 nest boxes?

 

[Smoky73]

your just gonna have to work on repitition, keep putting them in it every day till they get the idea.

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

for 6 silkies you would need 2 sq ft. per bird so atleast 12 sq ft. more if you have cold winters. Me I have 7 silkies in a 4.5X4.5' cube coop and they are great.

Heres the thing about silkies - most do not like to use contemporary nest boxes or roosts - they like to nest and roost low to the ground and if the blues are already used to laying on the ground it will be hard to convince them to lay in a nestbox. If I were you I would try putting nest boxes low to the floor, and create either steps out of a milk crate or a ramp to the nest boxes and put an egg in each nest box (2 for 6 hens would be good until you plan on them raising their own chicks then i'd suggest 3)

hope this helps!

 

[kasey08]

ok thanks i think i'll just make it short since the nest boxes will be on the outside it wont be that hard getting them