Intelligence of Silkies?

[Ariel301]

I just got a small flock of Silkies from a neighbor who was giving them away. It seems like they are really, really dumb. They keep getting stuck in cracks or the fence. One wedged itself inside a pallet I had feed stored on and could not get out. One managed to hang itself upside down in a chain link fence and rip its tail halfway off! They were kept in the same setup as mine before...coop with a chainlink run. They also seem to get into the water bowl a lot and not be able to get back out and I have to rescue them.

Are Silkies really this dumb?

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I know, dont they seem really stupid? I moved some youngsters into a new coop with a ramp. They have been in the coop for at over a month and I still have to go out there every night and put them in the coop, cause they dont know to climb the ramp/ladder at night. They climb it during the day just fine.

 

[sciencechick]

Yeah, I'd agree that Silkies aren't exactly high on the IQ scale...
But: We did figure out that they do much better with a haircut! Ours get a fresh mohawk every now and then to make sure they can see properly. It really helps!

 

[racuda]

What Silkies lack in intelligence, they make up for in sweetness.

 

[Redcatcher]

I am not sure what it is. I think they have normal IQ but they are a little warped. I had one newly hatched SQ buff chick in a transparent brooder tub where she could view my indoor fountain. Even though she had water and was drinking, she was completely fixated on the fountain. Sometimes running back and forth. She finally hopped out of the brooder (I have no idea how) and was found standing in the middle of the fountain. She was not peeping or the least bit upset or concerned. She was just standing there quite contented. Fortunately it was not too deep.

 

[DragonEggs]

I think it happens when they are inbred too muh. Mine are quite smart. Sometimes their crests obstruct their vision and cause them to have dumb behaviors.

 

[redhen]

The ones i had were dumb as tree stumps...
Just saying...

 

[barredrockgrl]

Hunh! My silkie must be an anomaly.

She's smart and sweet. Figured out the ramp and the roost very quickly despite the fact she had been raised in a rabbit hutch set up. Now, I briefly owned a Polish hen that was so dumb and mean I rehomed her within a month.

 

[CheshieChick13]

I call my three silkie roos the Three Stooges if that gives you any idea

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

Yeah I sometimes question the IQ of some of mine...I have 3 6 weekers that come off a breeder/shower and they are about as dumb as a rock...They wig out over the LITTLEST thing, and they have yet to understand that when everyone else is in the coop - they're supposed to be in there too...they go under instead of in...It takes forever to run these 3 in, where as the other 7 - have no issue whatso ever. the eldest 4 - got the hang of going to bed in the coop after free ranging in like 2 days...I don't understand it!