My Silkies won't go outside!

[RGEISENDORF]

So I have 7 nine week old Chicks, leghorn, RIR and misc and 5 Silkies that are about 5 weeks old. The older ones have been going out since 5 weeks. I have a trap door that I open to the coop to let them free range during the day and close at night. The coop is divided in half with the silkies on one side and the big girls on the other half. I have been opening up the divider during the day so they can mingle but the silkies will not go outside. I have tried lurring them outside with mealworms but they go right back inside as soon as they are done with the worms... is this normal? Should I just let them stay inside the coop? The bigger girls seem to like them fine so far and they go onto their side and lay with them during trips into the coop for water during the day and seem to accept them just great but the silkies won't follow them outside .... So heres the question; do silkies just not like to go outside? Or should I just lock them out during the day?

Thanks so much for answering another newbie question!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Just be patient and keep doing what you are doing. Many chickens don't like change but are curious. When they are ready, they will stay outside.

 

[sonew123]

my silkies and a mix of others went out full time yesterday for the first time. I leave their coop door open at all times and they loved it--I alos had to sit in the run for a bit putting them in and out of the door-not long after they did by themselves-they are 13 weeks old?ish.. they were very skittish at first...patience they'll go

 

[RGEISENDORF]

Thanks. I opened the door this a.m. and the older ones scurried out and are in the back 40 by now but the silkies- nope! They just look at me like I'm nuts. Noway nohow are we going out in that beautiful sunshine! Kids!

 

[Clucky Cluck]

Silkies are by nature submissive. I put two of them with my Rhode Island Reds and Buff Orffingtons and two hours later they both had their asses pecked out. I had to remove them.

 

[RGEISENDORF]

Quote:
I'm not having a problem with them getting along with the other older chicks they just don't want to go outside. I kicked them out over 10 times today and now they are going outside for brief jonts but no more than 1 foot from the coop door. I guess I just gotta let it go. If they want to live indoors their entire life who am I to judge?

 

[chickenwhisperer123]

Quote:
I'm not having a problem with them getting along with the other older chicks they just don't want to go outside. I kicked them out over 10 times today and now they are going outside for brief jonts but no more than 1 foot from the coop door. I guess I just gotta let it go. If they want to live indoors their entire life who am I to judge?

I think that when they are ready, they will go outside...
Good Luck with them. What color are they anyway?

 

[RGEISENDORF]

white, white, white, white, white. I hatched two off of eggs I bought on ebay and the other three I got from our local farmer supply. This is about as far as we got today....

 

[annek]

they look so CUTE all standing there huddled! I feel so sorry for them, I would just love to go smoosh all their cute little fuzz butts!

 

[RGEISENDORF]

Quote:
ya you can almost hear them say "whatever you do - don't touch the green stuff!"