What kind of nesting boxes do you use for Silkies?!

[lorijohnson823]

I have several young Silkie pullets that will be laying soon. I just adopted one older Silkie hen today, that is already laying. What kind of nesting box should I supply for her? Will Silkies lay in a semi-open wooden nest box? There is some at Rural King, that I was thinking of buying. What do others BYC members use?

 

[Lacrystol]

We built our nesting boxes out of wood just a square box, totally closed in except the front part. We have a piece of wood about 3 or 4 inches tall in the front, this helps keeps the straw in. But My silkies like to share the SAME box, I have 6 nesting boxes in each coop and they will pick one nesting box for all to use. Crazy chickens...

If you just got a new chicken today, I would strongly suggest you keep it confined for at least 1 month, just to be on the safe side for diseases...

I had sold a couple of my silkies and it took exactlly one month before they started to lay. I believe it was due to the stress of moving to a new place..

A nesting box isn't very hard to make, we have made all of ours. They will even use a carboard box as long as you have straw in it. I notice my silkies like there privacy so the more confined the better...

 

[countrygirl5]

We built our nesting boxes out of wood just a square box, totally closed in except the front part. We have a piece of wood about 3 or 4 inches tall in the front, this helps keeps the straw in. But My silkies like to share the SAME box, I have 6 nesting boxes in each coop and they will pick one nesting box for all to use. Crazy chickens...

If you just got a new chicken today, I would strongly suggest you keep it confined for at least 1 month, just to be on the safe side for diseases...

I had sold a couple of my silkies and it took exactlly one month before they started to lay. I believe it was due to the stress of moving to a new place..

A nesting box isn't very hard to make, we have made all of ours. They will even use a carboard box as long as you have straw in it. I notice my silkies like there privacy so the more confined the better...

How high off the ground can a silkie get for a nesting box. I heard they can't fly very high. Our nesting boxes are currently on the ground, but I was looking at getting a coop just for the slikies and other bantams but the boxes are probably 2ft. off the ground. Is that too high for them?

 

[lorijohnson823]

I would say thats way too high. My Silkies barely get off the ground. I have some logs, that I have put into the coop for them to sit and roost on. Anything taller than a small log on the ground, they cannot get on. They flap their wings and try, but they cannot fly. Adorable little things though!

 

[Lacrystol]

This is where my silkies are, I have two ramps, however we did take one of the ramps out and made a "handicap" ramp. This ramp has protective siding. Let me see if I can find a picture...
Here we go, this is the handicap ramp for my silkies and yes they use it. but there nesting boxes are of course up the ramp and inside... My silkies with tons of feathers on there heads, love this ramp because the sides protect them from falling, yes they bump into the sides as they are going up it and thats why it works out sooo great. It did take a while for them to get the hang of climbing up the ramp, I won't lie.

 

[countrygirl5]

That's cool!! Thanks for the pics, I love seeing other peoples coops and getting ideas from them. We are currently expanding our run and I love your door with the spring on it!! Gonna have my hubby do that for our door too. I wish I had a big enough yard to have a coop dedicated to just silkies, cause I love them so much, maybe in a few years when other projects are done and kids are a little older. I love to dream. I'm gonna end up being "the chicken lady" if I'm not careful. LOL

 

[Aschenfire]

I have an open run design for my birds since I am in Texas, and I use covered kitty litter pans with pine shaving for padding in them. They work wonderfully...even my big Cuckoo Marans girl used them before I sold all my large fowl. They can be bought fairly cheaply (I got mine for $10 at Big Lots)

 

[Lacrystol]

That's cool!! Thanks for the pics, I love seeing other peoples coops and getting ideas from them. We are currently expanding our run and I love your door with the spring on it!! Gonna have my hubby do that for our door too. I wish I had a big enough yard to have a coop dedicated to just silkies, cause I love them so much, maybe in a few years when other projects are done and kids are a little older. I love to dream. I'm gonna end up being "the chicken lady" if I'm not careful. LOL

Well don't start hatching, why because THEN YOU WILL BE ADDICTED. It's a horrible disease and you DON"T want to stop, it takes over your entire body and life and you can't stop it. LOL...