HELP! Silkie hen sleeping on the ramp outside of coop

[deedra11]

I am a first time chicken owner & I have 2 silkie's (one hen & one rooster) that are 20 weeks old & 2 barred rock hens that are 16 weeks. My silkie hen is very nervous at night & is usually the first one in the coop, but lately she has been sleeping on the ramp outside of the coop door. The rooster & her were bestfriends until just recently when he started crowing & acting like a rooster. He also just started attempting to mate with her & she flips out. So, every night I go out there to check on them & she is still on the ramp, so I pick her up & shove her through the coop door. I normally leave the coop door open (unless it is really cold outside), but since this is happening I have been closing it so she doesn't come out. Our coop is all enclosed in the run area, so no predators could get to her, but I know how nervous she gets at night & I feel bad leaving her out in the open. I need some advice because I don't know what is wrong with her. Should I just let her be? I live in Florida so It's not very cold.

 

[Bat Cave Silkies]

sounds to me like she's scared......the roo might be ready, but she obviously isn't.....2 LF sharing the house.....I wouldn't go in there either. Of course, I wouldn't want her sleeping outside if she were mine

 

[deedra11]

Hi thanks for responding. I'm new to this site & don't know all the lingo, what does LF mean? Do you have any suggestions on what to do? She is definitely scared of something. My rooster just started sleeping on the top perch with the barred rocks and he used to cuddle with the silkie on the floor, so now she is all alone.

 

[Bat Cave Silkies]

LF = Large Fowl, your Barred Rocks

Silkies are usually timid creatures; just my opinion (and you'll hear plenty of others who disagree with me) but Silkies do best when they're not mixed with other breeds. Barring that---your little Silkie girl needs a Silkie friend to cuddle with. Until she matures, she's not going to cuddle with your Silkie roo. There are alot of Silkie breeders in FL, could you get her a friend?

 

[deedra11]

Thank you! Yes I could get her a friend. Would it be better to get one her age or a chick?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
She might kill a chick until it grows up, unless she is broody (which she is not).

Adding to your flock- scroll down:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-adding-to-your-flock

 

[deedra11]

so I should get one that is older? Would I have to keep them separated at first? For how long? I have no idea what i'm doing so any replies are appreciated! Thanks

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

After rereading your post, I personally wouldn't worry about a male and female silkie together by themselves- as long as the male is not actually hurting her. If she doesn't want to go in the coop at night, could there be another way for you to make her comfortable?

Some of my silkies don't like perching- they want to be cuddled up in shavings. Actually I just moved all my silkies onto just shavings- no perches.

I don't know that I would automatically assume that you must get another chicken. I have silkie hens that don't like being mated and they flip out too. They will outgrow that phase.

But it is hard for me to give advice since I can't see how upset your silkie is. Sometimes if males overbreed the hens, you need more hens. But I don't know if this is your situation or not. The silkie roos tend to be more laid back and get along well with other silkie roos in my experience. But the usual (not silkie IMO) rooster to hen ratio is 1:8 minimum, 1:12 really good ratio. So if you get a really aggressive roo you can see the damage done on the hens because they will be missing feathers on their backs and possibly be bloody.

I suspect you have a good roo that is just bugging your little silkie hen- and she will be maturing herself soon and squatting for him.

Just my opinion!

 

[deedra11]

I've noticed that when I throw treats in the run, he will grab her from the back of the head and jump on top of her. So I don't know if he is not letting her eat or trying to mate??? I know my barred rock girls are nice to her so I think she must be afraid of him. Do you think he will out grow this?