4 - 5 Month Bearded SILKIES!! Roos or Hens??

[Chicalina]

It's so annoying that silkies take so long to mature isn't it!!!

 

[NatJ]

Possibly, but I think his whole beak is crooked as opposed to crossed. I’ll have to look closely tomorrow, but I definitely see him eat food, grass and treats all day long. Is there a serious issue I need to look out for?

If he's eating fine, then it's not a problem right now.
Given his current age, I think there's a good chance he will continue to be fine.

Just look on occasion, to make sure he's still able to eat, and that the beak is not getting too long. If it does start getting too long, the tip can be trimmed just like toenails can be trimmed.

Severe crossbeak can make a chicken unable to eat, and then the chicken doesn't grow right and isn't healthy. Also the beak doesn't wear down right, so it gets too long, and that makes the problem worse. Eventually, either the chicken starves to death, or the owner helps by providing special meals. But as long as your bird is eating fine, this does not apply to him.

 

[cluelesschickmother]

I think that the blue is a pullet and the buff a cockerel, but I'm not sure. I can't tell on the paint, sorry.

Thanks!!

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Honestly, they all look female.
Keep an eye on the dark grey one.
They are all so pretty!

 

[yakitori]

I don't know much about silkie maturation speed, but my older hard feathered girls started getting their big girl voices by 3 months.... are you sure they are 4-5months old? I hear chirping, lol.

 

[cluelesschickmother]

I don't know much about silkie maturation speed, but my older hard feathered girls started getting their big girl voices by 3 months.... are you sure they are 4-5months old? I hear chirping, lol.

Haha I know!! They do kind of chirp?! They are definitely full grown and around 5 months. They are slightly bigger than my 4 month olds and bigger than my small 6 month bantam pullet (pictured in profile picture).

I have been wondering about silkie voices, my expensive pullet from a high end show breeder actually murmurs (again, the one in my profile pic). I have never heard anything like it before! She goes "mur-mur mur-mur mur-mur." I was kind of hoping these would do the same and that it was a trait of true purebred bearded silkies... but not yet at least.

 

[cluelesschickmother]

hmmmm these guys are tricky!!

I'd say the white is a cockerel, but the buff and black could end up with streamers soon, not sure on those. The cuckoo is a pullet.

That is a fair assessment and my worst case scenario. I am confident the cuckoo is a pullet and pretty sure the black is a cockerel. I don't care so much about the buff as he/she is unlikely to produce eggs anyways. I am really holding out hope that the white is a pullet! I will happily keep all the roosters, but I just really wanted to add two beautiful pullets to my flock...

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

That is a fair assessment and my worst case scenario. I am confident the cuckoo is a pullet and pretty sure the black is a cockerel. I don't care so much about the buff as he/she is unlikely to produce eggs anyways. I am really holding out hope that the white is a pullet! I will happily keep all the roosters, but I just really wanted to add two beautiful pullets to my flock...

I'm thinking white cockerel and black cockerel too... Time will tell, gotta have patience with Silkies...
They are gorgeous little fluffballs!

 

[cluelesschickmother]

ahhh that's so cute! I can't wait for mine to find their voices. I have a hunch that runt will forever be chirping though.

by the way, I didn't mean to stalk you, but I noticed that you're only 40min north of me (I'm in Mt Hope) - who did you buy your silkies from?

Yes! Its adorable!

I raised 3 from day old chicks from a hatchery in NJ, one from a craigslist ad in MA (the fancy show quality partridge pullet... I got VERY lucky) and then four adorable imperfect rejects from a breeder nearby in PA that I picked up this week.

Its looking more and more that I only have 4 pullets and now 4 roosters (maybe even 3 pullets and 5 roosters)... so I would REALLY like two more pullets or hens, but as you can imagine its truly IMPOSSIBLE. The ones I got from Craigslist were a total fluke after looking everyday for weeks.

 

[Chicalina]

Then you'll have to hatch your own next spring!!! Plenty of the girls will go broody, so they'll do all the work for you.