Another Silkie sexing thread... curious about their behavior though!

[beckster01]

Any thoughts on these silkies yet? They are about 6 weeks old. The 2 that have more developed crests actually have vaulted skulls, so that may need to be taken into account.. Sorry if my pictures aren’t great. They are not cooperative. I’m mostly curious if they are old enough for me to sex by behavior. 2 are clearly working out a pecking order.

Chick #1: Personality is the most curious, bold, and friendly of the bunch. S/he will come to me for petting/looking for snacks. When they are contesting for a yummy morsel, this one always wins, the other two almost don’t even challenge it once it grabs the snack.

Chick #2: Stays out of most tussles, but it is making a distinct noise that the other two have never made. I can’t really describe it but I found a YouTube video of a silkie that made an identical noise that turned out to be a roo. It also is the only one I’ve seen “strut.” It is probably the most flighty out of all of them. It is difficult to see, but the tail sets lower and wider than the other two.

Chick #3: Biggest one in size. It is working out a pecking order described below.

So #1 and #3 frequently stare each other down and flap their wings at each other. Once I saw them bump chests and kick (forward). Does that mean they are both Roos, fighting over being an alpha roo? Or will hens act like this too? The other one literally pays no mind. There is no clear winner, they just flap around for a few seconds and then carry on with scratching around. I also won’t be surprised if they are all roosters, the person who was supposed to get them before us mysteriously “didn’t show up.”

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Much too young. Both sexes will spar when young to establish a pecking order.

 

[beckster01]

Figures! I was hoping for a magic answer lol. Of course I just saw the master sexing thread now, this can get moved/deleted if there are too many threads like it

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You can post updates and see how it goes. Generally you look for comb development on silkies. Some males develop them earlier and are easier to tell. Females generally don't get comb until after 5-6 months or even longer.

 

[beckster01]

Thanks!