why don't silkies perch

[Chicken wild 98]

I'm new to chickens & have silkies I'm just wondering

thx

 

[mommahen64]

My silkie is about 7 weeks and I found her atop the heat lamp in the coop!! it was off, and I have no idea how the heck she got up there, but she managed (about 2.5 feet up). She also got up with the others pm the roost one night. how old are yours? Maybe mine is just weird....

 

[Chicken wild 98]

mine r only 3 weeks but i heard this & was wondering

 

[justmeandtheflock]

Some will roost if they have access to a roost that they can reach. They can't fly as well as other chickens because they do not have regular feathers so they can't reach a roost setup for other chickens. Also, if they have large poofs on their heads they may not be able to see the roost

 

[al6517]

Silkies are infamous for not being smart enough to figure things out without the learning aid of watching other smarter birds do common chicken things like roost.

 

[spiritdance]

My silkies roost, but they have to have a lower roost than others so they can reach it. Mine have a roost just a foot off the floor and they love it.

 

[drumstick diva]

I think it is the combination of things - not seeing well because of the crest, and the silky feathers not making the best covering for wings. You might try clipping their crests and seeing if things change. I also don't believe they are the "blondes" of the chicken world - they just don't see well.

 

[JP101010]

Hi
me and my hubby are partial to Silkies- thats what our flock started out as and is still , more than half silkies. not one of them roost at night , and they have the perches to do it they just are i guess more of a "simple" chicken. they also arent as quick to find, catch and eat bugs. I also have noticed that when it rains or if there overhead predators a silkie will stand out in the open getting soaked and chilly or eaten... whereas my RIR or SLW's are the first ones under the shelter. I like to think of it like this--- because silkies are soo much prettier than what i call "regular" chickens i figure Silkies have the beauty and non silkies have the brains

 

[wrldlygrrl]

My frizzles cannot reach the top roost either...they are quite spoiled, as I put them up there with the other chooks nightly (don't want any inferiority complexes).

 

[NYREDS]

It's pretty simple physics. Due to the shreaded nature of their wing feathers they're not able to catch much air, therefore they can't fly well. The better the Silkie [from an appearance standpoint] the less their ability to fly.