My Silkies won't sleep in the coop

[Jaemomma]

I have 4 Buff Orpingtons, 2 Rhode Island Reds, a rooster who is a Partridge Plymouth Rock, and 2 Silkies.

For the past few weeks the Silkies disappear at night and do not get closed in the coop with the other chickens. I do not know where they go but every morning when I get up they are running around the yard soaking wet! They find themselves a place in the sun and shake themselves off and warm up and dry off.

The only thing I can figure is that they must have found someplace in the tall grass to hide at night.

Should I be worried? Should I make a point of finding them earlier in the day and putting them up in the coop? (I usually go out and close the coop after it gets dark, the open it in the morning and they free range all day).

I am just afraid they might get sick from getting so wet all the time.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Are you seeing them during the day all the time? Being Silkies I would wonder if they are not hiding nests somewhere in the grass. Like you said, with winter/colder weather coming them getting wet is going to be a problem for them. And especially if predators have access to where they could be, I would try to catch/ contain them before they get eaten, Silkies are pretty helpless against anything, even more so than regular chickens, since they can't even fly.

 

[cehasz]

I have 4 Buff Orpingtons, 2 Rhode Island Reds, a rooster who is a Partridge Plymouth Rock, and 2 Silkies.

For the past few weeks the Silkies disappear at night and do not get closed in the coop with the other chickens. I do not know where they go but every morning when I get up they are running around the yard soaking wet! They find themselves a place in the sun and shake themselves off and warm up and dry off.

The only thing I can figure is that they must have found someplace in the tall grass to hide at night.

Should I be worried? Should I make a point of finding them earlier in the day and putting them up in the coop? (I usually go out and close the coop after it gets dark, the open it in the morning and they free range all day).

I am just afraid they might get sick from getting so wet all the time.

How long have the silkies been a part of the flock? Because of their docile nature, silkies are more likely to be bossed around. Maybe they aren't allowed in the coop?

 

[Jaemomma]

One silkie has been part of the flock since she was bigger than all the rest of them. She used to pick on them really bad, until the rest got bigger than her. The other silkie is a new addition as of about 7 weeks ago. They were staying in the coop all the time but its only been the last 2 weeks that they haven't been staying in the coop at night. I see them around all the time during the day, they are usually chasing after the rest of the flock but stay back a bit.

 

[Jaemomma]

Well, I went looking and found the black one and put her in the coop. I thought the two would be together but I can't find the grey one.

On of my BO's is in the woods and didn't come into the coop tonight. Its too dark to go try and find her, I could hear her singing but she took off running when I got close to her. I hope she survives outside all night!

 

[Jaemomma]

The silkie that stayed in the coop stayed dry. My BO was back out of the woods this morning. I haven't seen my grey silkie yet