Silkies won't come in!

[Attila]

I have three silkies that are about 2 months younger than my other 7 birds. They are all together in the coop.
The 7 older birds march right into the coop at sunset. The 3 silkies will not go up the ramp and into the coop. They like to bed down in one corner under the coop. I thought maybe the ramp was to steep so I built another one that is not as steep. That didn't help.

So far every night I have to go out, chase and catch each one of them and walk them up the ramp.
You would think that after doing this for 2 weeks they would get it! Every time I'm chasing the chicks all I can think about is Mickey telling Rocky "If you can catch a chicken, you can catch greased lightnin". Well let me tell you, I'm a former defensive linemen and catching quarterbacks is alot easier than catching chickens!
(No offense Mickey, I never had much of a speed game!)

Last night I put a 40 watt light in the coop to see if it would draw them in. That didn't work but it was the first time I I did it so I'll see how the week plays out. Any advise would be helpful about how to get them in the coop because at this rate I will be in shape to go back and play semipro ball.

Thanks

 

[sourland]

Perhaps the older birds are picking on the silkies?

 

[jdywntr]

X 2 I would think they may be getting picked on. Do you have plenty of roost space? If you do, are the lower roosts toward the front? If the silkies are getting bullied and can't get to the roosts they are probably looking for somewhere else to stay for the night.

I had a silkie who was raised with 4 other hens. They got on fine then one day when they were about 1.5 years old the bigger girls started picking on her. She started roosting in the duck run for a while but eventually got back in with the other girls. She would get on the lowest roost (lower in the pecking order = lower roost)

 

[rosebuds]

It takes a while for the others to accept.Just keep on keeping them in the coop at nights.They will soon accept your silkies.

 

[leadwolf1]

I have only had one silkie that cared to roost. All the others like to sleep in a silkie pile. Ramps are harder for silkies to get the hang of. It's hard for them to judge distances. Keep at it, they will eventually learn. They are still babies...I think mine were closer to 12 weeks before the could successfully navigate the ramps...now the happily go in every night and plop down into a warm silkie pile

 

[jtbrown]

I have only had Silkies since March. I have two. Still don't know if boy or a girl. My husband doesn't refer to the Silkies nicely because they do seem rather dense and we had problems with them with the batch of birds we got in March.

They do not roost, they are older than the "teen" buff orp, buckeye, and SLW they hang out with and at least that group doesn't pick on them. They were picked on by their own group of birds, and had to be kept separate for a month while I healed a quarter sized hole in the back of the head caused by picking. Since they have healed, I haven't had any problems other than they seem to not follow the crowd into the coop at night on occasion.

I have considered building a "rabbit" hutch for my 2 silkies to keep them in since they are small and would be okay in relatively small area, but so far aside from occasionally having to be carried in and sleeping on the floor they aren't that much of a problem. I may end up doing that if they get picked on again, but hopefully since the banty roosters all went away we won't have that problem again. I really like them, but I don't know if I want a bird that needs coddled so much, so doubt I will look for more when buying more bantums.

 

[Attila]

Thanks for the replies. I had to walk them up the ramp again tonight. I can only hope for tomorrow!
Yes the bigger birds do pick on the silkies so I'm sure that has something to do with it.

 

[dl9976]

I had the same problem with my silkies and it was not because they were being picked on..in fact the silkie rooster was the #1 rooster out of them all...6 of my 7 silkies prefer to sleep on the ground out side the hen house all huddle in a group together...they just prefer each others company in the peace and quite,...I began locking them in the henhouse at night and after a while they got the idea and now they go in all by them selves at night... they are definitely strange!! Love those silkies!