8-Week-ish Silkie Chicks: Male or Female? (Also Color Help)

[Giannine]

Hi everyone, I am new here and also to keeping Silkie chickens. I do realize that mine are young and very well could be either male or female, despite what they may appear as now. That said, there are two in particular that have noticeably longer tufts on the back of their head puffs. They wave around and are longer than they appear in the photos.

All of my chicks chest bump each other (not sure if that has any relevance to being male or female) and one has a red comb (is that normal?). The guy I got them from has bearded and non-bearded so if anyone would like to chime in and also give their opinion as to whether each one is or not, that would be an added plus.

Oh, I also cannot tell the official color names of my chicks. The guy I got them from referred to the light Grey/Silver one as "Lavender" and the Brown ones as "Chocolate" though I have never seen Chocolate used as a color name for Silkies. So I guess you could say I could use a lot of help. Thank you very much in advance

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[JedJackson]

Silkies are tough to sex but yours all look like pullets with the possible exception of the bird in the first picture.

Picture #1 looks like a mix of color varieties, small beard.
Picture #2 white, bearded
Picture #3 lavender or possibly splash, non-bearded
Picture #4 the dark bird is partridge, small beard
Picture #5 partridge, small beard
Picture #6 partridge or possibly blue partridge, small beard

The ones with small beards would be considered bearded but I'd bet they're bearded and non-bearded mixes. If you bred them to bearded birds they'd make bearded babies and if you bred them to non-bearded birds the babies would be mostly non-bearded.

 

[Giannine]

Silkies are tough to sex but yours all look like pullets with the possible exception of the bird in the last picture.

Picture #1 lavender, non-bearded.
Picture #2 partridge, small beard
Picture #3 white, bearded
Picture #4 partridge or maybe blue partridge, small beard
Picture #5 looks like a mix of colors, small beard.

The ones with small beards would be considered bearded but I'd bet they're bearded and non-bearded mixes. If you bred them to bearded birds they'd make bearded babies and if you bred them to non-bearded birds the babies would be mostly non-bearded.

Thank you very much for your input. I noticed my post was all rearranged after I saved it and was editing to put the pictures back under the text as you were typing your response. I hope they are not rearranged from the order you listed your input/opinions in. The two that have long tufts coming from the back of their heads are the white and dark brown headed chicks...

 

[Chickadee McGee]

Red and blue one in last pic is really neat looking

 

[Giannine]

Red and blue one in last pic is really neat looking

I think so too...any idea what color it is considered (or just red and blue)? We always call it "the orange headed one". My pics are all out of order from when the last person commented and told me the colors so I am not sure if he was referring to this one as mixed or a partridge...

 

[JedJackson]

Thank you very much for your input. I noticed my post was all rearranged after I saved it and was editing to put the pictures back under the text as you were typing your response. I hope they are not rearranged from the order you listed your input/opinions in. The two that have long tufts coming from the back of their heads are the white and dark brown headed chicks...

I've edited to fit the new arrangement. It would be helpful to have pictures of the two birds you name, the white and dark brown headed birds, showing the combs from the front.

 

[Giannine]

I've edited to fit the new arrangement. It would be helpful to have pictures of the two birds you name, the white and dark brown headed birds, showing the combs from the front.

Thank you again Here are the two that have the longer tufts in the back

 

[pineapple416]

Cute Silkies! Having longer tufts or streamers can be a sign that they are cockerels, however I still think that the two in question are pullets as far as I can tell. I am fairly sure that Silkie #1 is a cockerel, and I am thinking the rest are pullets.

 

[Giannine]

Cute Silkies! Having longer tufts or streamers can be a sign that they are cockerels, however I still think that the two in question are pullets as far as I can tell. I am fairly sure that Silkie #1 is a cockerel, and I am thinking the rest are pullets.

The more pullets, the better... I do not look forward to having to rehome any (roosters not allowed in Bothell). We have two younger chicks that we are really attached to but they are far too young to try guessing their sex. They are kept separate from these 5 for now (pics 1 and 4 are the same chick).

 

[Chickadee McGee]

I think so too...any idea what color it is considered (or just red and blue)? We always call it "the orange headed one". My pics are all out of order from when the last person commented and told me the colors so I am not sure if he was referring to this one as mixed or a partridge...

I'm not sure but it does remind of same colors of a blue laced red Wyandotte