silkie sexing

Caitlin_VT · Oct 30, 2014

mrsdurfey said:

Too young!

mamidei · Nov 2, 2014

I'm still on the fence about this little silkie. It's about 18 weeks old. A few weeks ago I posted pictures and everyone said pullet. I'm just nervous about the comb.

mom-to-5 · Nov 2, 2014

mamidei said:
I'm still on the fence about this little silkie. It's about 18 weeks old. A few weeks ago I posted pictures and everyone said pullet. I'm just nervous about the comb.

St

mom-to-5 · Nov 2, 2014

Sorry about the earlier post (pressed reply to soon) but still looks like a pullet to me

aatx · Nov 3, 2014

aatx said:
Okay, I think I have prepared myself for the bad news.

Roo or Hen? Almost 26 weeks old. No crowing. Hatchery stock. Comb just started showing in the last week or two. I know there can be roos with small combs and hens with large combs and that it isn't a certain confirmation, but it scares me, even though it didn't start developing until recently. Oh, and I do trim around their eyes sometimes, so crest shape is probably altered.

I have 4 silkies and one started crowing at 11 weeks. The confirmed roo has a large comb and wattles that started developing early, evident streamers, long thin hackles, and is almost twice the size of the other three, including this one.

This black one I had to really baby as a chick, so I am just certain due to my luck, it will turn out to be a boy.

JessicaThistle · Nov 3, 2014

mamidei said:
I'm still on the fence about this little silkie. It's about 18 weeks old. A few weeks ago I posted pictures and everyone said pullet. I'm just nervous about the comb.

I still say pullet also. My two little silkie hens have large combs and waddles. People here even told me possible roo because of the combs.

Nikki816 · Nov 3, 2014

Splash baby 1, thinking pullet 7ish weeks

https://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/6622446/width/200
/height/400
Splash baby 2, thinking cockerel.

Splash baby 3, "think" this one is a pullet too. 7ish weeks.

aatx · Nov 3, 2014

mamidei said:
I'm still on the fence about this little silkie. It's about 18 weeks old. A few weeks ago I posted pictures and everyone said pullet. I'm just nervous about the comb.

Not sure if it makes you feel any better, but if you will look at my silkie (post 3000 in this thread) https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/579215/silkie-sexing/2990#post_14256953, you can see she was developing a decent sized comb. The photos are from when she was about 25 1/2 weeks old.

Here is one of them so you don't have to go back and find the thread.

I unfortunately do not have any of her that you can see her comb in at the 18-20 week age. This is the best one I have. It was taken 9/27 and she was born 4/30, so she was about 20 1/2 weeks old here,. It's not a closeup, but you can see that a comb was already visible.

Anyway, I posted a follow up to my post, but if you did not see it, the pullet guesses were confirmed this weekend when she laid her first egg at 26.5 weeks old.

AnneInTheBurbs · Nov 3, 2014

nayeli said:
If he is you should know in the morning! Mine were crowing well before 20 weeks!

Zgm12 said:
The others all look like hens to me, but it is a little hard to tell since the pictures aren't close. The buff looks like a rooster, but it also could be the top hen, or leader of the group. There is always a "top hen" in a group of hens so maybe that is why she is standing so upright. If they have a large comb or streamers coming out of their head then that means they are a rooster. Post some more pictures of the Buff's comb and body so we can see him/her better. Good luck with your new silkies!