May have spooked my new girls.

[PaulaMc]

Today they were much better, I actually moved their entire home a fair way across the garden so I think I'll have to re-acclimatize them to their new surroundings again but two of the hens are so inquisitive its incredible, will eat from my hand, one tried climbing up my leg and both will cautiously stand firm when I approach them. I took a chance and put the super nervous/bullied one in with my two equally timid silkies and they seem to get along fine, and the remainding one seems to be taking a pretty neutral stance although she'll clamber over everything to get to a handful of mealworms.

I watched them all take a dirt bath yesterday, it was weird, they all seemed to queue to do it in the same spot but they were happy as hell either way. They already seem to have a bit more... I dunno, life(?) to them, they stand a little taller and confidently now, no eggs but that doesn't bother me, as long as they compost everything I throw at them then I'm a happy man.

A bit worried about the silkies and the nervous one though, the two fluffy buggers just sit indoors all day, they won't even eat mealworms and they just hide all the time. Any tips on bringing them out a bit more or do I just accept I have a trio of ballsy birds and a trio of timid ones?

They've all had a bit of a change and so will settle down soon. Did you have the silkies before?

I rescued the ex batts in May and then acquired 3 silkies at the end of October. I kept them in a separate run so they could get use to the fatty-batties without getting squashed ha ha. When I first let them range -they had never done this before- they were very timid and would just stand very still if one of the big girls came near them -or run like hell! ha ha

Bridget- a miniature- seemed to be at the bottom of the pecking order and I really worried that she was getting enough to eat and drink -so gave her little treats when the others weren't looking. Now, although tiny, she is feisty and will steal food from under the beaks of the others and run like hell with it ha ha.

Am no expert but I would just give them a little time to settle and see what happens.

Another thing with the silkies is that they get very broody. Are they all fluffed up in nest boxes? Nancy and Jacky were broody for about 3 weeks so I had to take them out and put them in a separate run every day just to make sure they ate and drank. I didn't put any bedding in and gave them treats to help keep their condition. I put them back in the coop at night. Eventually they laid and were happy again.

Hope this helps

 

[Brooksy86]

Yep, I had the silkies first, and I'll be honest, I don't particularly like them. Both are timid but one will peck viciously at your hands if you try and change their food/water, when they rarely decide to free-range they'll hide themselves away and will scream bloody murder if you attempt to move them back to their hutch (they won't do it independently). I see them as two bad tempered, money swallowing idiot animals, I have suspicions that one may actually be a rooster which would explain the aggressiveness but I am struggling to enjoy their company and I have invested hours into trying to get them comfortable and happy. C'est la vie I suppose, I think they were bought/gifted to me by people who thought they looked pretty but didn't actually do much research on their personalities, the same people keep on asking where all their eggs are, but I'll per severe, I adore all animals and I'm sure they'll grow on me eventually.

The new girls, bar the one who has joined 'Team Silkie' seemed happy earlier playing in their run, but as I was fixing a door to their coop I cussed loudly as I dropped a bit of wood on my foot and they scarpered inside, I'll tease them out with some snacks, but apart from that they seem to be doing well, still a little timid but you can see they're just gathering confidence to be more outdoorsy, I watched them from afar peering out their hutch, slowly walking out of it and dashing back inside. Its beyond adorable.

 

[PaulaMc]

Yep, I had the silkies first, and I'll be honest, I don't particularly like them. Both are timid but one will peck viciously at your hands if you try and change their food/water, when they rarely decide to free-range they'll hide themselves away and will scream bloody murder if you attempt to move them back to their hutch (they won't do it independently). I see them as two bad tempered, money swallowing idiot animals, I have suspicions that one may actually be a rooster which would explain the aggressiveness but I am struggling to enjoy their company and I have invested hours into trying to get them comfortable and happy. C'est la vie I suppose, I think they were bought/gifted to me by people who thought they looked pretty but didn't actually do much research on their personalities, the same people keep on asking where all their eggs are, but I'll per severe, I adore all animals and I'm sure they'll grow on me eventually.

The new girls, bar the one who has joined 'Team Silkie' seemed happy earlier playing in their run, but as I was fixing a door to their coop I cussed loudly as I dropped a bit of wood on my foot and they scarpered inside, I'll tease them out with some snacks, but apart from that they seem to be doing well, still a little timid but you can see they're just gathering confidence to be more outdoorsy, I watched them from afar peering out their hutch, slowly walking out of it and dashing back inside. Its beyond adorable.

Yep, I had the silkies first, and I'll be honest, I don't particularly like them. Both are timid but one will peck viciously at your hands if you try and change their food/water, when they rarely decide to free-range they'll hide themselves away and will scream bloody murder if you attempt to move them back to their hutch (they won't do it independently). I see them as two bad tempered, money swallowing idiot animals, I have suspicions that one may actually be a rooster which would explain the aggressiveness but I am struggling to enjoy their company and I have invested hours into trying to get them comfortable and happy. C'est la vie I suppose, I think they were bought/gifted to me by people who thought they looked pretty but didn't actually do much research on their personalities, the same people keep on asking where all their eggs are, but I'll per severe, I adore all animals and I'm sure they'll grow on me eventually.

The new girls, bar the one who has joined 'Team Silkie' seemed happy earlier playing in their run, but as I was fixing a door to their coop I cussed loudly as I dropped a bit of wood on my foot and they scarpered inside, I'll tease them out with some snacks, but apart from that they seem to be doing well, still a little timid but you can see they're just gathering confidence to be more outdoorsy, I watched them from afar peering out their hutch, slowly walking out of it and dashing back inside. Its beyond adorable.

Aaaww I love my little silkies. They are generally friendly unless broody so I would really think about putting the pecking one in a run or cage during the day with just food and water as it really sounds broody. Not an expert but still think roosters of this breed are not usually vicious. If you haven't got a run etc be inventive. I have a rabbit run someone gave me but otherwise would have used windbreakers or even a large cardboard box with big holes in. Unless stubborn like mine (3 weeks), it usually only takes about 3-4 days. I had to put gloves on when they were broody in order to move them into run in the morning but their pecks don't really hurt - bless.

They'll all gain confidence soon. It's beautiful to see ex batts especially doing chicken things that they have never had the chance to do before. In light of your other post however- I know this may be a little delayed bless them but am sure they will soon forget as they seem to have a very loving and caring owner.