Did this silkie just morph into a rooster?

[sapphiresilkie7]

Hey all…is this a rooster? I thought “Lemon” was a hen until like..this week when the comb just got bigger and redder and he got a bit bigger as well. I got a batch of chicks (all 6.5 months now) and the other three roosters were noticeably roo a long time ago. Lemon isn’t crowing yet and has always been on the small side. Thoughts?

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

A hen can't "morph" into a rooster suddenly (though hens can have hormone issues), so I would assume that this was a late-developing cockerel.

 

[sapphiresilkie7]

A hen can't "morph" into a rooster suddenly (though hens can have hormone issues), so I would assume that this was a late-developing cockerel.

I didn’t literally mean it MORPHED into a rooster. But thanks for your response.

 

[NatJ]

Hey all…is this a rooster? I thought “Lemon” was a hen until like..this week when the comb just got bigger and redder and he got a bit bigger as well. I got a batch of chicks (all 6.5 months now) and the other three roosters were noticeably roo a long time ago. Lemon isn’t crowing yet and has always been on the small side. Thoughts?

A hen's comb does get much bigger and redder when she is getting ready to lay eggs.

So I don't know whether Lemon is about to start laying eggs (the age is about right, considering the season of the year), or whether Lemon is a male who was just not obvious until now.

I would expect the answer to become obvious sometime in the next month or so: either eggs or crowing.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

It could be just a slow maturing cockerel. Often when you have multiple in a batch the beta cockerels will not develop as fast as the alphas. That being said hens do redden up and their combs/wattles tend to get bigger right before laying. I am not a silkie expert when it comes to sexing so I am not 100% whether it’s just slow developing or coming into lay.

 

[nuthatched]

It still looks pullety to me but we'll soon know for sure.

 

[sapphiresilkie7]

It still looks pullety to me but we'll soon know for sure.

Thank you

 

[sapphiresilkie7]

It could be just a slow maturing cockerel. Often when you have multiple in a batch the beta cockerels will not develop as fast as the alphas. That being said hens do redden up and their combs/wattles tend to get bigger right before laying. I am not a silkie expert when it comes to sexing so I am not 100% whether it’s just slow developing or coming into lay.

Thank you!

 

[ColtHandorf]

SIlkies are notoriously obnoxious when it comes to sexing. I don't see any streamers that are characteristic of male Silkies. I'd think it was a pullet just looking at the pictures, although the comb is quite large.

 

[Ocho 8 Farm]

This guy looks JUST like my boy Rambo! A little guy, not the biggest of combs, but still a boy. He looks to be standing more upright and his tail features are more outward looking. Idk but I’m leaning towards male.