Silkie Chicken Depression?? Old Hen doesn't want to socialize with new silkies after her friend died.

[UrbanSilkieChickMum]

Hi everyone, I am desperately hoping you will all be able to help me out and help my chicken out of her funk.

The backstory:
I had 2 silkie chicken (hens). I have a smaller residential backyard so 2 was sorta the max I wanted originally.
Recently, a little over a month ago, one of my chickens died. I think she had some neurological problems, as she was just off for a few days, and then dead in the bottom of the coop the next morning. She was 4 years old, white. My other silkie (hen, age 5, black) is fine-ish.
As chickens, especially silkies, need friends, I went about and got three new silkie chicks. They were six weeks old when I got them, so during the day I have put them outside and let them try and mingle with my older 5 year old chicken to get them to introduce etc. But at night time, as the temps are around mid 50s, i've brought the babies back inside my house, and my older one stays in her coop as usual as she is definitely a creature of habit. I know that in the next week or so my babies will be old enough to handle the night time temp in the coop with my other chicken.
My problem is with my older silkie (5 year old). Once her friend past away, she seemed normal for a few weeks, would call out here and there, but once I would give her some one on one socializing time with myself she was fine and went about her scratching and daytime chicken things. Now that I got new chicks so she wouldn't be lonely, she wants nothing to do with them, and has became even less social and doesn't even try to socialize with them. She still socializes with me and my dogs and other humans, but besides pecking the young chicks to show them who is boss one or two times, she seems to care less about them, doesn't want to eat treats near them, doesn't scratch during the day near them, doesn't want to hang out near them or anything. They are free range of my back yard during the day and at night they'll will eventually go in the coop so I know it isn't a space or territorial issue.
I feel like my older chicken (5 years old) is depressed and missing her friend after nearly 6 weeks of her being gone, but only showed these antisocial signs with other chickens when I brought the new chickens to be her friend. She has always been my least social chicken with humans, but she was super social with the other silkie (RIP).
What do I do? I got these new chickens so she would have friends.
Should I start letting the babies now (8ish weeks) sleep in the coop with her, would that help them bond?
Should I add one chick at a time so they can break the maybe pack of the little ones and my one older?
Like I said she doesn't seem to hate them, just doesn't want anything to do with them, and seems depressed. Im scared she will be depressed and pass too. But she still walks in my back door as she use to looking for treats, still loves to get out of the coop in the morning, still eats her treats, and hops back into her coop at dusk. I also don't want an unhappy chicken. I live in SoCal, so they get plenty of sunlight and warm weather, and I just want to help my chickens.
Any suggestions?

Photo:
White silkie (past away age 4)
Large Black Blue Silkie (still alive age 5)
3 young silkie (suppose to all be female according to the breeder, roughly 8 weeks now) White Speck, Partridge Splash, and Black
**Also maybe y all can tell if any of the babies are male ** like I mentioned, they are suppose to be female, and I know how tricky they ar to match.

 

[deidreg]

Good morning. Sorry for your lonely silkie. Adding new pullets to give her a flock is a good idea, though it will take time for her to accept them. My guess is she will naturally take on the leader role. (Note I don't know much about silkies.)

I adopted a four year old hen who had also lost her flock mates and was lonely. She was integrated with four pullets. She kept her distance at first, then slowly started showing them who is boss. After a couple weeks, she started making noises and became more sociable. She's been with me for three months now and is happy.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

I would say just give her time. It may just take her a little while to get over the death of her friend especially since it was just the 2 of them originally. I would just keep an eye on her and make sure she’s eating and drinking and make sure the new ones aren’t being mean to her. Someone else with more experience might be able to give you some better advice though I have no experience with silkies specifically.

 

[sourland]

Time will result in an integrated flock.

 

[UrbanSilkieChickMum]

Good morning. Sorry for your lonely silkie. Adding new pullets to give her a flock is a good idea, though it will take time for her to accept them. My guess is she will naturally take on the leader role. (Note I don't know much about silkies.)

I adopted a four year old hen who had also lost her flock mates and was lonely. She was integrated with four pullets. She kept her distance at first, then slowly started showing them who is boss. After a couple weeks, she started making noises and became more sociable. She's been with me for three months now and is happy.

Thank you! Do you think it could have anything to do with me separating them still at night time? Where they aren't waking up together everyday with the bonding between them.
They are 8ish weeks now, so they theoretically could be outside in the coop at night. The temp is about 50 F at nighttime.

 

[UrbanSilkieChickMum]

Time will result in an integrated flock.

Thank you! I hope so! I am definitely keeping an eye on her eating and drinking regularly. As it is coming into spring and summer, she will get plenty of garden fresh treats! She has interacted with the little ones a few times, but mainly its one peck to "show im head hen" and they run away in the other direction.
Thank you for all the advice! I've never dealt with a sad chicken before.

 

[deidreg]

Thank you! Do you think it could have anything to do with me separating them still at night time? Where they aren't waking up together everyday with the bonding between them.
They are 8ish weeks now, so they theoretically could be outside in the coop at night. The temp is about 50 F at nighttime.

If they're fully feathered, let them sleep outside. They can regulate their own body temperature.