Silkie acting strange

[Whitey_75]

Ok, so we have silkies. There were 3 silkies in our coop/enclosure. One rooster, two hens. We put a few eggs in an incubator this winter. Only one hatched in February. We kept it inside with a heat lamp until it was warm enough to bring it outside. When we brought it outside it just stayed in the coop, facing the corner, very scared. We did this for a couple weeks taking him/her out and bringing it back in. It never has gotten used to being outside. It needs to be taken in and out of the coop each day and when he/she is out he/she seems very scared to even move. He/She wil eat and drink and stays in a corner near the food and water. I don't know what is going on with it. It has been like this since the first day we brought it out to indroduce to the flock. It has been about 2 months. Any ideas? Thank you.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you post some photos of your coop/run set-up?

 

[Whitey_75]

View attachment 1844009

Here are some pictures of the coop/enclosure. The coop is about 30 square feet (a little over 7’ x a little over 4’). The enclosure is about 4 times that size. The chickens in the pictures are when we first put them in. They were in the coop about 10 months when we introduced the new one, bringing it out there for a few hours a day for a couple weeks before letting it live in there. The new one will just walk randomly around in the coop when the others leave in the morning, but won’t come out no matter how long we leave it there by itself. When we take it out it is VERY skittish and won’t go back in at night until we put it in. There are only 3 other chickens in there and they all do great.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can she see well?
Do you think she can hear?
Do the other try to interact with her?
Does she even watch the other chickens?
One more Will she interact with you, like eat out of your hand, walk to you, etc. or does she totally ignore her humans too?

 

[Whitey_75]

It can see and hear. We tested holding things out for it and making noise. It interacts with the others by being very submissive. It sometimes lays flat on the ground. It will eat out of our hands, but isn’t super friendly like the others. It likes to stay in one little part of the enclosure out of the way. The other chickens try interacting and even try to teach it to get in and out of the coop when it is near the door. The rooster displays dominant behavior toward it running into it and sometimes getting on top of it and pecking, but it reacts very submissively.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Is it a female?
You are removing it every night (taking it back inside?) or is it sleeping in the coop with the others?
You might want to try leaving it with them 24/7 for a few days to see what happens.

 

[Whitey_75]

I don't know if it's male or female. We thought it was a male when it was alone because it stood up pretty straight, but now we don't k ow. It hasn't displayed behavior either way. It doesn't lay or crow and is still young to tell by appearance. We leave it with the others 24/7 but it won't go on and out of the coop without us moving it. It has been with them for about 2 months

 

[AmyJane725]

I don't know if it's male or female. We thought it was a male when it was alone because it stood up pretty straight, but now we don't k ow. It hasn't displayed behavior either way. It doesn't lay or crow and is still young to tell by appearance. We leave it with the others 24/7 but it won't go on and out of the coop without us moving it. It has been with them for about 2 months

Did it act "normal" when it was inside?

And to those familiar with raising chicks from hatch, do chicks reared alone turn out "weird"? I'm under the impression it's better for them to have friends from day 1. I wonder if this one doesn't get how to be part of a flock since it wasn't as a newborn.

 

[Whitey_75]

It acted “normal” when it was inside, but it was also in a brooder box. Much smaller enclosure and no interaction with other chickens. If I had to make a guess I’d say it is because it was raised alone and basically has no idea it’s a chicken, or what chickens are. I want to rule out serious issues with it like medical issues, or see if there is a solution. I don’t know if it will ever be “normal”. I think it should have at least learned to go in and out of the coop in the morning and night no matter how awkward it is around the others. There is no food or water in the coop, so that should be enough motivation, but isn’t.

 

[AmyJane725]

It acted “normal” when it was inside, but it was also in a brooder box. Much smaller enclosure and no interaction with other chickens. If I had to make a guess I’d say it is because it was raised alone and basically has no idea it’s a chicken, or what chickens are. I want to rule out serious issues with it like medical issues, or see if there is a solution. I don’t know if it will ever be “normal”. I think it should have at least learned to go in and out of the coop in the morning and night no matter how awkward it is around the others. There is no food or water in the coop, so that should be enough motivation, but isn’t.

Can chickens be mentally retarded?

Maybe move the brooder into the coop and cut a hole in the side of it so the little one can come and go from the brooder? I don't know if that would just be enabling the behavior, but maybe it would make the chick more comfortable/less scared, and it could adjust to the coop on its own terms?