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

[aoxa]

My silkie pullet (Lorraine) is 27 weeks old now. Still no eggs! I know it's winter and all, but it would be really nice if she would give me an egg for Christmas

Here are some pictures of her on her birthday

The day I brought her home at 8 weeks old:

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I have to say, I do not agree with a lot of this. My comments in red.

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[aoxa]

Quote:

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.

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

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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.

 

[jeslewmazer]

Quote:
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.

I agree with both. Some chickens will use this method for attraction and for intimidation. It's not exactly the same, but, think of how a turkey puffs and struts, they use it for both, and other birds also present similar struts/dance/cutting of wing(s). Typically seen toward animals or objects not seen as a predator.
Personal experience wise....Most roosters exhibiting this behavior to a human are of a friendly nature, but some do attack with the intention to cause bodily harm.

 

[AlienChick]

This thread has always come in very hand when I'm sexing my Silkies.

Last December I had a blue Silkie chick that I wasn't sure of and based on this thread, I "guessed" it was a hen.

Turns out I was right!

 

[Snozzle]

Oh this will come in handy very soon. I have 1 adult silkie rooster, but then there are 3 that are 12 weeks old and I really can't tell at all from personality like I would with other chickens, these guys are 1 unit that moves together

And in 3 weeks we will be blessed with a bunch more. I picked up 14 silkie eggs yesterday that my friend has put in my incubator that she is borrowing so her girls can watch it for the first time, we are splitting whatever hatches, very exciting. Dibs on a buff, white, splash and a porcelain or more, I will need a 3rd coop soon

 

[TrystInn]

So what do you do when you have a Silkie who is nearly a year old (hatched roughly 3/12/2011) who hasn't crowed or laid an egg with no distinct gender, though appears to behave in a feminine manner? For its own safety, I separated it from our very dominant rooster and put it in with a hen and sweet little cockerel, both of which hatched in August, in the hopes it would show some kind of sign (crow or lay). So far nothing.

We've been calling it Fooz and so far its been a beautiful flock bird we just have no idea what to do with it other than marvel at the mystery. I can post pics tomorrow if you folks think you can solve this one for us.

 

[Ayman-hazeb]

nice

 

[chicknfun]

They are all so cute!! I have one silkie that I have been wondering what gender he is, and after reading this great thread, I am totally thinking HE is a roo!!
He is so stately looking, always running around with such good posture....LOL
Fred is my very first chicken, (he told me his name was Fred at 7 days old). I had a gut feeling, I guess ;-)
The thing I am now waiting for is to find out how big he will get. Not sure if he is a Bantam or not. He is about 6 or 7 weeks old, and right around a foot tall, including his hairdoo!! When I bought him the lady said he was a black, but he is so light I think blue instead. It seems to me that he also has those sort of 'rough' feathers at the front of his wings also.
Is it possible to have a splash with blue and black, or silvery grey with black? I really don't know much about chickens, and the splash silkies that I have seen so far have all been white overall with the splashes in darker color. I must say, all of the silkies shown here are soooo cute, i just cant stand it!
I guess I got bit by a chicken bug or something, and I am also suffering from 'chicken math'.

Black or Blue-
Pullet or Roo-
Makes no difference to me
I started with two,
and now it's a zoo
My hubby said, "Lord, HELP me"