Concerned for my silkies staying out in the rain.

[stormylady]

I have a pen of 9 silkies, and 1 Salmon Fav. Roo. It has been very cold here lately getting into the mid 30's and has been raining alot lately. They have all been staying in the smallish coop that is in the pen that they have been using for as long as they have been outside, for the last week or so they have been sleeping outside in the rain instead of going into the coop. they have all started perching around the top of a large lario bucket. except for the SF Roo who still goes into the coop and the 3 month old SF/Silkie mix chick who prefers to sleep on the top of a six foot chain link fence. They have plenty of places to go out of the rain, a very large Igloo dog house, the small coop, 3 large dog crates. I don't understand why they are not going inside , it looks fine and is clean so I don't get it??? I did lose Missy, a sister to the little male SF/Silkie Mix I found her in the coop laying on the floor she was still alive so I brought her in and warmed her up but she passed later that day in a box in the house. She had no symptoms no trouble breathing or anything,she was not pecked at or no injuries, just very cold and her crop was empty that could be because when I found her it was very early in the morning and none of them were up and stirring yet, She was not skinny and she appeared fine the day before, eating drinking and running around normally. Im really concerned that they will freeze to death out their with the rain and it not even getting very warm during the day to really warm them up. Does anybody have any suggestions as to what might be going on with them? This is a very sudden change for them and it is really worrying me. Their have been no signs of preditors or at least I haven't seen any, none of the chickens have injuries and they are just as friendly towards me as they have been. With my standard chickens when we were having raccoon problems attacking them their personalities changed and they became very skiddish and flighty and ran from even leaves falling off the trees, the silkies aren't acting like that at all. So I dont know?? Any help welcome
Thankyou Sandy

 

[oldorchardfarms]

I have a indoor outdoor coop also for my chickens and we chase them in at night and lock them up, or we kinda trick them by leaving there food and water in the indoor pen and toss out meal worms or other treats about 30 mins before we lock them up, but i def. start locking them up at night

 

[Aria]

Our Silkies stay in the Chicken Yard all day. At dusk they go into the barn. We have an automatic door and that closes. At dawn the automatic door opens and they are out in the yard again.

In Winter we DO NOT let them out of the Barn. We have a covered run for them and the automatic door to the run opens at dawn and closes at dusk. Our Silkies go into the Barn for the night. They remain safe, warmer. Regards. Aroa

 

[stormylady]

Thank you both , I will have to force them to start using the pen I just don't understand because for 2 years almost they have gone inside on their own and stayed in until lately??? The meal worms sound like an excellent inticement Idea to get them back in there. Thanks again, Sandy

 

[LuckyInKy]

My silkies are pampered and get to live in my garage at night. They free-range with all of my other chickens during the day. They actually stand by the door waiting to come in at night and have a cardboard box they all like to pile into (there are 4 of them, 2 roos and 2 hens). If my silkies get wet, I have brought them in and turned a heat lamp on for them. They do seem more delicate than my regular chickens. I am torn between building them their own pen and coop outside or continuing to let them stay in the garage over the winter. They really like their cardboard box, choosing it over a playhouse or roosting areas in the garage.

 

[Skyesrocket]

Something might have scared them inside of the coop. Maybe a snake or rat?

 

[stormylady]

Quote:
Ya see mine were the same way, of course not waiting for me to let the in , but they would just go in and be perfectly happy, thats why I don't get the sudden change in them. If they keep this behavior up, I may have to bring them back into the back room for a while while its cold and wet out their, Or take a chance and put them in the big coop with my Standard size chickens that I really don't want to do. But if I have too I will.

Something might have scared them inside of the coop. Maybe a snake or rat?
That makes perfect sense! I did go out and check in all the little coops I found nothing , but of course that doesn't mean something wasn't there earlier. I guess It would only take one time for them to get scared out for good, I quess a smart bird wouldn't go back to a roost where they new there was danger. Thankyou!