How high can a silkie go up?

[ECBW]

I recently took in some mixed bantam chicks. They are now 11 weeks old. They were sleeping on the floor huddled together. The others started to roost at a 18"AFF roost. The one silkie in the group desperately wants to be with the group but could not jump or fly to it. Very sad. We have been scooping her up and puting her on the roost.

The question is this situation temporary? Will the bantam silkie eventually be able to reach it? And how high can they go?

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Mine can't jump up much more than 12". What i do in one of my coops is to stack nest boxes, like stairs. Then i have a ramp leading to a board where a lot of them sleep. They do like being up higher, as it's safer. Can you make a ramp? If so, don't make it too steep. Or can you put a box or something she can jump up on then up to the roost?

 

[ECBW]

Thanks Sunrise. Don't mean to be pushy but there must a few more fellow BYCer that know a thing or two about silkies, please.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

She needs a very low roost. My silkies either sleep on the floor of the coop or hop up about 6 inches at a time onto bricks/low cement blocks and then a roost which is around 8 inches off the floor. One or two go to the higher roost around 2 feet off the floor.

The highest I recommend for a silkie would be 2 feet off the floor because of falling. They will fall with a sickening thud.

They just can't see well in front of them and this is very intimidating to them when using ramps or ladders.

 

[GotGame]

Quote:
You are not getting many replies because sunrise pretty much covered it. Silkies are a heavy built little bird that cant fly, a 12" roost is about all you can expect most silkies to be able to get onto....

 

[peacemaker]

I have a 10 week old silkie that sleeps on my top roost with the rest of the flock (mixed heavy breeds) and has held her ground in the pecking order to remain on the top roost as they grow older and larger. I have a three tier roost starting at about 2ft off the floor and put a chicken walk up one side.

 

[robin416]

A determined Silkie can gain as much as four feet, usually those are males, but not many can do it. A foot is probably the max most will attempt to get on.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

They're great climbers if you give them a ramp or stairs to use. As far as flying like regular chickens, it's just not going to be possible due to their feather type and weight. I have hatchery silkies that will roost about 4 - 5 ft up, but they have a ramp to use.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
You are not getting many replies because sunrise pretty much covered it. Silkies are a heavy built little bird that cant fly, a 12" roost is about all you can expect most silkies to be able to get onto....

Then there was Stormy who regularly roosted on a 4' tall loose wire fence (loose as in not taut). Supposedly chickens cannot perch on a wire that is not taut. Supposedly silkies cannot get higher than 24" (this post is the first I ever heard 12"). Stormy obviously read neither of these maxims. I have wire shelving in one of the coops that is about 18" high. All the birds in that coop can fly/jump up to it, and all the adults choose to pile on it to sleep. Even the pigeon who cannot fly at all due to a wing injury can hop up there. There is a ramp that some of the babies use.

 

[GotGame]

Quote:
You are not getting many replies because sunrise pretty much covered it. Silkies are a heavy built little bird that cant fly, a 12" roost is about all you can expect most silkies to be able to get onto....

Then there was Stormy who regularly roosted on a 4' tall loose wire fence (loose as in not taut). Supposedly chickens cannot perch on a wire that is not taut. Supposedly silkies cannot get higher than 24" (this post is the first I ever heard 12"). Stormy obviously read neither of these maxims. I have wire shelving in one of the coops that is about 18" high. All the birds in that coop can fly/jump up to it, and all the adults choose to pile on it to sleep. Even the pigeon who cannot fly at all due to a wing injury can hop up there. There is a ramp that some of the babies use.

Note I said 'most' not ALL....