Where do your silkies "roost" ?

[Chicken Egg 17]

At least now I know that my silkies aren't being weird by being on the ground. I am just thinking forward to next winter when the coop ground just gets a little damp. I guess I can keep lots of wood chips on it. They free range during the day so the coop/run is only for sleeping and eating. I might try putting an old crate in there upside down and see if they will get on it. The ground just seems so, I don't know, dirty?? And they have such pretty white feathers. /img/smilies/smile.png


I guess I need to make sure that I always own more than one silkie. It would be a lonely pile of one.

Hello I need some help with my silkies I haven't gotten them yet but I would like to know is there any way u can get them to roost as I have heard that sometimes when they silkie pile they can actually suffocate each other

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Some of mine roost, some of them do a cuddle puddle on the floor (though it would be nice if they'd all get off the floor). I've never had them pile on top of each other and get squished or suffocated. Even when my broodies have itty bitty chicks.

The ones that roost decided to do so on their own, and the bottom roost is only about 4" off the floor. The highest is about 4.5' (ladder roost). No one uses the lowest roost. I'd imagine, when you get yours, you could "train" them to roost by sticking them up there every night until they start going up on their own

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

Since they don't fly the best could I just stick a ramp in so they can go up would they use it them but how is it the only chicken breed that doesn't have the instinct to roost

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

You could give them a ramp, but they probably won't use that either

Not the best pic, but thats what mine use. Four of them (and the babies and that white broody) sleep under the nest boxes, but everyone else sleeps on the second or third rung. The four that pile up on the floor have the biggest crests and like to stay out as late as possible, so I'm guessing they just can't see to get up there. They settle right in if I put them there though.

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

O ya if mine have big crests I am going to give them a pony tail so they can see