Adding Silkies to Flock

[packobeagles]

I have a flock of four pretty docile girls, well I thought they were docile until I wanted to add two silkies. My current flock is one Brahma(head hen), Polish (second in command) and two australorps (bottom two). I got two silkies this spring. They are about 11 weeks old. Last week I had them in a pen inside the run so they could all see each other and did supervised visits of them all together. This week I have let them all out in the run and supervised free range. I understand there will be some pecking order stuff but how long does that generally last? The lead hen could care less about them. The Polish only pecks them on the back when it comes to sharing food or they get in her personal space. However, the Aussies chase them relentlessly and peck the babies backs or pull their tales. The poor silkies end up hiding all day They come out when I check on them and they hear my voice. I have an extra feeder and water out and hang greens and cabbage pinatas to keep the big girls occupied. The Silkies manage to get into the coop to sleep but hide/sleep in the nest boxes. Any suggestions??
Also, when do silkies reach full size? Right now they are still so small, I know they are bantams and will be smaller but just wandering when they reach full size. Also, they are still peeping and act very much like babies. They still hop on my lap and nuzzle under my arm(or is this normal silkie behaivor?).
Any advice is much appreciated.

 

[eenie114]

I would suggest removing the silkies from the flock and isolating them for a while, preferably where they cannot be seen by the rest of your flock. Keep them there a few days, then reintegrate them into the flock at night. Chickens, while darling, are not the brightest animals, and will be more willing to accept newcomers if they wake up and they're just THERE.

If it continues after that, try watching from a distance until the Aussies attack, then swoop in as if you are the head rooster (which you are! ) and fend them off. If it becomes clear to them that you, as the boss, will not tolerate them picking on the silkies, they should stop.

 

[packobeagles]

Thank you Eenie for such a quick reply. I have been spending time with the ladies and I do act as head rooster if the Aussies attack. I peck them on the head with my hand and pull their tales but as soon as I leave they go after them silkies. I might just try and bring the silkies in for a few days and put them in the coop at night though. Should I just put them on the floor when I do put them in the coop at night?
My brahma sleeps on the floor so I hope eventually she will have the silkies to sleep with. There is a ramp but my brahma is just so big she has a hard time regardless, lol.
Thanks for the help. I love all my birds but these silkies are so freaking sweet! My fave was my polish because she follows me around like a dog and comes when I call her but she is being booted to second place, haha.

 

[packobeagles]

Any other suggestion my fellow chicken keepers?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I would suggest the opposite, which would be removing the Aussies from the pen to an isolated place where they aren't seen by the others. This should allow the Silkies to establish their place in the flock, which will hopefully be above the Aussies.

However, while many folks keep their Silkies with other breeds, I have really never been able to. I've found they do well with other very docile breeds like Cochins and other crested breeds like Polish, but they just can't stand up to bigger breeds that see better. Some birds will just never accept them, I think its because their crests and shredded feathers make them look so different.

And, they're chick-like behavior is very typical. They take a long time to grow up, especially when compared to other production type breeds. Mine are full size somewhere around 5-6 months, but they continue to grow feathers for what seems like forever.

Good luck, I hope it all works out for you!

 

[eenie114]

I might just try and bring the silkies in for a few days and put them in the coop at night though. Should I just put them on the floor when I do put them in the coop at night?
My brahma sleeps on the floor so I hope eventually she will have the silkies to sleep with. There is a ramp but my brahma is just so big she has a hard time regardless, lol.
Thanks for the help.

If you have a roost, I would suggest putting them on the roost rather than the floor. (If they will stay.) This is just my experience, but I've noticed that in my flock, the higher-up chickens get the roost. Of course, there is no for-sure way to tell if that will help at all.

 

[packobeagles]

Well, bringing the silkies in for a few days then putting them back out didn't work. We even rearranged the run at night to confuse the bigs girls. Worked for a few hours. I don't think putting the silkies in at night fools anyone. That might work in a large flock but not a flock of four. I thought about bringing in the Aussies for a few days but I tried that once with the most aggressive one and that didn't work. So....A. Do I bring both Aussies in for a few days? B. Do I just bring the silkies in until they get a bit bigger and try again later? They are coming up on 11 weeks in a couple of days. I just think they are too young to establish a place in the flock. All they do now is run and hide. My issue is sometimes they run into the nest box and corner themselves and the Aussies attack and don't let up. I have tried acting like the rooster but as soon as I leave they Aussies are at it again. The Polish, who's is the top hen right now, only chases them a little and never overly violent, just a peck on the back and she is done. My Brahma could care less. She is a big lazy girl,lol. Ugh, I just don't know what to do. Poor little silkies.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Pulling the Silkies is not going to work. They'll always be the newbies when you put them back. And they'll likely never be able to dominate the Aussies, they're always going to be so much smaller than them. Pull both of the Aussies for a couple of days, a week would probably be better. Give the Silkies time to settle into the coop and then slowly reintroduce the Aussies. By slowly, I mean it would be best if they were all still separate for a while after everyone's living in the coop again. The Aussies need to think they're moving into the Silkies coop, not the other way around.

If they're as aggressive as they sound, they might never be able to coexist. Silkies are docile and most don't see well (if yours have large crests). You might seriously have to consider separate housing or rehoming someone if that's not an option for you.

This is why most folks here encourage newer member to research the breeds they're interested in. Many can live together without issue. Then you have breeds like Silkies, Polish, ECT that just look and act so different that most other breeds seem to think something is wrong with them, and then they're out to get them.

Good luck.

 

[packobeagles]

Thank you for the reply Funky. I thought I would be able to get away with adding silkies since my head hens are a brahma and a polish. They are so docile that I figured the Aussies were pretty docile to not challenge the Polish. The silkies top knots aren't that full yet and can see well, hence why they can outrun the Aussies. I did end up pulling the Aussies and all seems peaceful between the Polish, Silkies and Brahma. The Polish did chase them a little when they got in her way but otherwise ignores them. We shall see how it goes.

 

[tomarcs]

Packobeagles, I hope the best for you in intergrating your silkie's, from the bottom of my heart. And here's why:

I started my flock by rescuing a silkie from a co-worker's flock. It was the second time she had to be re-homed due to getting the ever-loving-life pecked out of her - no feathers on her back, head, or tail, and blood starting to show. She raised that flock from chicks, and they turned on her At some point something must have changed, no clue what, but it did. Being a bantam in a flock of large fowls didn't work for her. So now she's here in my coop, and has a bantam flock of pullets to rule over

Sounds like you have a real good eye on your flock, and will figure something out. Until then, stay optimistic and be ever watchful