I'm rather dejected tonight and I just needed to vent a little bit since all my family does is roll their eyes at me. Fiona, my Partridge Silkie hen I purchased is now officially a house chicken at night and a separate pen chicken during the nice days. I have been trying to get my flock to accept her but it just isn't happening. I have literally tried everything, putting her out there at night, separate pen and letting them get used to each other, just throwing her in the run and seeing what happens.....even putting her with a group of little juvenile chickens and releasing them together. The little chickens are accepted, she is not. It's more than just not accepting, it's downright aggressive. My husband says it's because she's so beautiful that they hate her, lol. I can't stand to see her ripped apart by my normally docile loving chickens. I have decided enough is enough. I give up. I think she is happy with that decision because she has been sitting in my arms cooing for the past couple hours It baffles my mind and has made me feel very dejected. I hate losing, lol and I so wanted her to be outside enjoying a chicken life with other chickens. Plus I already have two house chickens...my spraddled leg girls who live together now, Hope and Quincy. I keep waiting for my husband to say enough, lol but so far he hasn't.....but he has said he will not build her a separate coop and run outside...he said we are done with chicken buildings....sigh. It's not a total loss though because I love this little girl so much. She absolutely beautiful....so much prettier and better quality than the other Silkies I purchased this year....and she is my cuddler. She is exactly what I wanted when I got Silkies! Thank you for letting me vent! My daughter Emma and Fiona having a serious discussion....
Awwwww, what a pretty girl she is!! I just don't get it why some of them aren't accepted from the "flock". Maybe the hubby is right, she is just "too pretty" lol! My daughter says that my silkies are beauty, and very little brains! Gotta love those silkies!
she is very pretty... I agree they are picking on her because she is beautiful and they are envious of her
one of my observations: Chickens tend to accept "look alikes", but reject birds that look dramatically different from those in the established flock. I started with a RIR, Barred Rock, and Red/Brown EE. . . . when the EE turned out to be a roo and had to be rehomed, he was replaced with a yellow / Black EE who was (and still is) not well accepted by the others. I did get another, younger red/brown ee pullet, who was accepted immediatly! Fortunatly, my yellow black EE is by far the biggest of the flock, and has gained enough acceptance, over time that she is not being picked on. . . although a mean look from my Barred Rock will send her scurrying!
Thank you for the kind words and compliments on my girls My husband will be happy to know (lol if I tell him!) that he was right. It never really crossed my mind that they wouldn't accept her because she was so different looking but it makes sense. My other Silkies are more "hatchery" quality so they kind of fit in better with my mixed flock. She is totally different from anything I have. It makes me think that the Polish I so desperately want won't be accepted either....maybe it can be Fiona's house friend? Maybe I will have to place a small order with MPC after all! Any excuse....lol
