Sexing your Silkies (PICTURES AND TIPS - Updated July-5-12) - Page 5

I really think we need a thread describing key factors that are used to foretell the sex of their silkies. I know there is a thread for sexing EE's, but have yet to find one describing the difference between one of the hardest to sex breeds.. So many people are asking if their silkie is a hen or a rooster on here every day, and I have heard from silkie breeders that by the age of 4 months old you should be able to tell determine the sex of your silkie with ease.

Please feel free to send me photos of your cockerels & pullets. I would love to include some of your pictures in the original post

SIGNS YOU HAVE A ROO:

#1: Streamers coming out of the back of their crest. YES  These streamers will begin to develop between the ages of 4-6 months.

http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad326/aoxa/9dc4c004.jpg
Picture of my Roo's crest.

http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad326/aoxa/IMG_0086.jpg
Pullet

#2: Silkie males will hold their bodies much more upright than silkie pullets.Generally, but not always.

http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad326/aoxa/IMG_0581-2.jpg
Rooster

http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad326/aoxa/IMG_0865.jpg
27 week old pullet.

#3: Silkie roosters will have long hackle feathers which are rough in texture.  Should not be rough textured.

http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad326/aoxa/IMG_1415.jpg

http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad326/aoxa/IMG_0734-1.jpg

#4: Silkie roosters will have longer tail feathers.  NO; length of silkie tail feathers is related to quality of bird, not gender.
http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad326/aoxa/IMG_0692.jpg
Silkie rooster from the back.

http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad326/aoxa/IMG_1451.jpg
Two silkie pullets from the back.

#5: Silkie roosters will have a large walnut comb when mature. ALL silkies hsould have a walnut comb, and none should be "large."  Male combs are larger than female combs, but this is typical of all breeds.
**Bearded silkies have the big poofy beard under the beak and should have barely no waddles (or the mature boys will have very little ones you can barely see ) where non-bearded will start to grow waddles pretty early (boys and girls will develop noticeable waddles with the non-bearded (clean faced)  variety) **

http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad326/aoxa/IMG_0496-1.jpg

#6: Silkie roosters will have more of a slicked back appearance to their crest. **This does not always work for hatchery quality silkies**  Silkie crests should never be "slicked back."
http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad326/aoxa/IMG_0493-1.jpg
Rooster's slicked back crest

http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad326/aoxa/IMG_0816-1.jpg
Hen's soft poofy crest.

Besides the obvious - roosters crow and hens lay eggs. Are there any other signs anyone would like to contribute?

NOTE: These are all visual determinations of the sex difference. There are many behavioural aspects to sexing silkies as well. Not sure if I should get into that yet or not

EDIT TO ADD BEHAVIOURAL SIGNS:

Remember, I have limited experience with silkies. I am just stating what I see between my pullets and my rooster, and what I've read online. I do spend WAY too much time reading about chickens.

If you have time (on a weekend or a day off), sit outside with your silkies and watch their antics.

You will soon begin to notice behaviours in the boys that you will not notice in the girls.

#1 Cockerels will be on watch a lot of the time. Even my young cockerel (4 months old, though not a silkie) has stood watch from a very young age. The boys are more social than the girls. If they are with others their own age they will most likely be head of the flock. If you have more than one rooster, one will be Alpha, one will be Beta.

I only have two roosters, both get along great. My silkie is my obvious Alpha rooster. My Barred Rock cockerel is Beta. Steve will not permit Jagger to breed any of 'his' hens. I'd like to see him try to mate my silkie pullets Poor girls..

#2 Silkie roosters start crowing (on average) between 4 and 6 months old. Don't let anyone tell you their crows are meek compared to that of their standard counterpart. My silkie rooster is LOUD.

#3 Silkie boys have a natural instinct to protect their girls (as do 99% of other roosters). Most silkie roosters are docile (up to a degree), but will do things like.. Flare their hackle feathers.  So will hens.

http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad326/aoxa/IMG_0625-2.jpg
as so. I have yet to see any of my female silkies do this. I spend WAY too much time with my chickens  
I am out watching my chickens almost full days on weekends (weather permitting), and from after work until dark. I hope to one day soon own a small hobby farm.

#4 Normally the lowest on your pecking order will be bullied by nearly every other chicken besides the rooster. My rooster is more apt to peck the head hen than the underdog. He will break up fights between the hens. It doesn't take much of his assertion to end the squabbles.

http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad326/aoxa/IMG_0118.jpg

#5 You will notice "tidbitting" from ONLY roosters. They will make a strange call that I've only heard come out of my roos. They will pick up a piece of food, drop it, pick it up, drop it, etc. until they have the girls paying attention enough to come over and claim the piece of food.   If a hen has chicks, she does this also.

http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad326/aoxa/IMG_0889.jpg

They will also do this in attempt to mate even if they have nothing around them. It's sneaky..

#6 Of course mating.. This behaviour can start as early as 3 months old, but for those roosters that are not alpha, it may be much later. My rooster will drop a wing and shuffle around the hen until she submits or runs away. This behaviour is best observed in the morning when you first let them out.

Mating Dance
Here is a video of a rooster doing the mating 'dance' as many call it. Do not let him do this to you. I most definitely would not let him do this to my kid.  Better for the boy to think you (or your child) are part of his flock than to think you a rival or a danger.  Best is for him to think you an immutable, but overall kindly, force of nature. This is not my rooster. Just a good video showing the dance only a ROOSTER will do.
**Note: I was informed that some gamey types of hens may do this wing cutting if they are without a rooster in the flock. Just as some hens may crow. It is definitely not as common as a rooster doing it, but it could happen**

Hormones RAGE in the early morning

I will have to take a video of my rooster doing his morning activities. I will not tolerate aggressiveness towards the girls. He is such a great rooster, so I normally don't need to intervene.

Please feel free to send me photos of your cockerels & pullets. I would love to include some of your pictures in the original post

Thanks for the comments, I will adjust some of them. Except the last one. The wing cutting can be used as an intimidation method as well.

Wing cutting is more a mating dance and form of flattery and attraction. I agree with Sonoran - this is an acceptable behavior and usually isn't a form of aggression.  My 7 year old's pet OEGB rooster does it to her, and then wants her to pick him up and love on him. He does it for attention, not a mean bone in the boy to people. but boy that 1.5 lb bugger will run off a standard rooster in a heartbeat.