6 Week Old Silkie Hen or Rooster?

[Feathers1984]

I have a 6 week old bearded buff silkie chick. Up until recently I was thinking he/she looked more like a hen. However, the last two mornings, he/she has made a very suspicious noise in the morning...resembling a pathetic crow. I have read that some hens can crow but it's rare, the other thing is it's age, should it be crowing (or trying) already at 6 weeks if its a rooster? The other thing I noticed is that the comb is looking a bit more pronounced now, reddening in color also towards the top of it. The breeder I got it from said that his buffs tend to have the reddish comb regardless of sex since they are not show quality, so I dunno about that. I have 3 other older silkies and none of them have these qualities I'm noticing with this one. I posted three photos of he/she, they appeared to have gotten their crest wet so I attempted to blow dry it a little for the photos lol. Any guesses would be appreciated!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That red in it's comb makes me think rooster at that age.

 

[silkie1472]

It is still way too early to tell, but I agree. I think it is a young rooster too.

 

[pineapple416]

Great pictures! I agree that it is a little early to tell, but I am pretty sure that it is a cockerel. Crowing is a little early, but possible. Bantams tend to mature faster than large fowl, and crowing between 2-3 months is normal. One of our hens used to crow, but only for a little while when she was 1-2 years old.

Here is a picture of my Silkie cockerel when he was this age...

 

[Feathers1984]

Thanks so much for everyone's input thus far! He/she did not try to "crow" this morning....yet. I'm still really hoping for pullet, but I know it's not looking good.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Normally I would say 6 weeks is way to young to tell for silkies. But that comb is almost as pronounced as my 6 month old girls who are laying already.

I have heard of a cockerel trying to crow as young as 4 weeks even though it's rare. I have some 20 week old SF that aren't crowing yet.

In fact, my bantam WCBP is more than 6 months old and hasn't tried to crow yet and is barely even starting to think about ladies.

ETA: abbreviations list...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/byc-index-of-abbreviations

 

[BantamLover21]

I'm leaning toward cockerel.

 

[Feathers1984]

Well, the lil guy went a couple of mornings without trying to "crow" but this morning there he went again, just a couple of times. So, I think I have come up with a possible solution to our dilemma, which was not wanting a rooster due to the crowing. I have found a thread on here that talks about no crow rooster collars. I believe I will give these a try before resorting to rehoming him. It's worth a shot, he's a cute lil guy! I believe I will be trying to make my own since he's a little guy. Again, thanks for everyone's input!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

No crow collars basically strangle them when they try to crow, I personally don't see it as a good option for the bird.

 

[Feathers1984]

I appreciate your opinion oldhenlikesdogs, which you are entitled to, but I still think this is the best option for me and my bird. I plan on at least trying it out, as a lot of folks actually give it good reviews. I'll be sure to start a thread on it and give updates for others who may be interested in it.