Scared Silkie

[Hippiechicklover]

Hi everyone! First time chicken owner here.
I have a flock of 4 at about 3 months old. I’ve had them since they were two weeks old. I’ve handled them daily. I have a silkie in this flock and since day one she has been petrified of me. She’s also... really dumb. She takes forever to figure out how to get in through gates, looses her flock members all the time, and can’t seem to understand that my presence only means treats and other good things.
The problem I’m currently running into is I’m trying to get my flock into their tractor from the coop. The other birds picked up on it super quick. However, I had to entice the silkie with more treats and then eventually had to pick her up because she cant seem to figure out to go through the gate (or simply just runs away from me). Half the time I can’t even entice her with a treat because she won’t come near me.
My bf says I just need to bring her inside and spend one on one time with her more so she can learn to trust me. I just want to traumatize her as little as possible, but she needs to be in her tractor for safety purposes every morning before I go to work.
Thank you for any and all advice!!

 

[boskelli1571]

Hi everyone! First time chicken owner here.
I have a flock of 4 at about 3 months old. I’ve had them since they were two weeks old. I’ve handled them daily. I have a silkie in this flock and since day one she has been petrified of me. She’s also... really dumb. She takes forever to figure out how to get in through gates, looses her flock members all the time, and can’t seem to understand that my presence only means treats and other good things.
The problem I’m currently running into is I’m trying to get my flock into their tractor from the coop. The other birds picked up on it super quick. However, I had to entice the silkie with more treats and then eventually had to pick her up because she cant seem to figure out to go through the gate (or simply just runs away from me). Half the time I can’t even entice her with a treat because she won’t come near me.
My bf says I just need to bring her inside and spend one on one time with her more so she can learn to trust me. I just want to traumatize her as little as possible, but she needs to be in her tractor for safety purposes every morning before I go to work.
Thank you for any and all advice!!View attachment 2171046

Hi there,
How fuzzy are her head feathers? Could she be having a hard time seeing where she's going? If so, trim them a little.
Silkies aren't the brightest bulb in the pack for sure, I would suggest a lot more 1:1 with her so she becomes accustomed to getting treats and good things from you. Try to stick to a regular routine, change throws chickens into a tizzy... talk calmly and quietly with her and try to move very slowly until she starts to get the hang of it.
Hopefully time and patience will do the trick

 

[Hippiechicklover]

Hi there,
How fuzzy are her head feathers? Could she be having a hard time seeing where she's going? If so, trim them a little.
Silkies aren't the brightest bulb in the pack for sure, I would suggest a lot more 1:1 with her so she becomes accustomed to getting treats and good things from you. Try to stick to a regular routine, change throws chickens into a tizzy... talk calmly and quietly with her and try to move very slowly until she starts to get the hang of it.
Hopefully time and patience will do the trick

I gave her a nice trim, which seems to have helped Thank you for the advice!

 

[Missjlee4377]

@Hippiechicklover
I'm having the SAME problem with 2 out of 4 of my silkies. I contributed it to the fact I got them after my other birds, which are bigger and maybe treat time is a little overwhelming for them so I try my best to give them "special attention"
I can understand your frustration when it comes to getting them in the coop. Of 32 feather puppies, 26 will come running when they see me and I call "hey chickies!!!" Of the 6 that dont, the silkies and two ladies who have been skittish since day one (even though I hatched them).
I always tell them they're lucky they're so damn cute, and only curse them a little cause well, they dumb.

@boskelli1571 I never thought of trimming their feather bangs! Looks like I'm getting out the old hairstyling scissors and opening up a chicken salon!!!