Confused chicks? Need suggestions please.

[upmycreek]

I picked up 6 three day old bantam chicks from TSC (got them the day they arrived from the hatchery) and I put them under my broody silkie hen and three of them are a little slow when it comes to nighttime protocol.

I have a small coop with a small run and every night I go to lock everyone up there are the same 3 chicks huddled together in the run. The first night I thought it was a fluke and picked them up and stuck them under mom because it was getting chilly for them, but last night I put them on the ramp and instead of going straight up the ramp and getting under mom, they huddled together 7 inches from her. When I put them next to her they immediately went under her.

I have never had this happen before. She is making all the right "come here" noises and she will walk up and down the ramp to show them how it is done. She is not pecking them or ostracizing them in any way. She is a really good broody (raised 4 foster clutches for me already). The ramp is only 12" long and barely at a 2% slope. Wheelchair accessible! I need to go out of town and now I am worried they are going to freeze to death 3 inches from their heat source. Anyone ever have this happen? Any suggestions?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

If you're going out of town, I'd secure momma and babies in the coop so they can't even access the ramp.
Some are just much slower to "get it" and if they're around 4-6 days old ir so, I wouldn't expect them all to navigate the ramp yet. Some of my older chicks still struggle with the ramp, they're my slow chicks. Good luck

 

[upmycreek]

Ok. The chicks are actually two and a half weeks old now. They are silkies and are not fully feathered out yet... Just wing feathers right now. I kept them inside for a week and a half before putting them in a coop and waited another week before I allowed mom to take them out into the run.

I think I'm going to take them to a friends house because although my boyfriend is going to be watching them, he isn't the most attentive to them. I am just so baffled at why they would be inside the coop and not want to get under the mom. It's 50 degrees out so its still too cold for them to be without moms heat.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

They're Silkies, that explains it! I love mine, but they aren't the sharpest tools in the shed....