Can you sex a 12 -16 week old Silkie?

[pennie1]

Just wondering if you can sex a 12 -18 wk. old Silkie? I know that I can sex my other chicks pretty accurately at about 4 - 6 weeks old.
Should you really sell straight run at that age?

 

[thechickenguy]

Quote:
silkies are one of the hardest breeds to sex at a young age. most wait until they crow or lay an egg but you never know.

 

[hoppy]

someone posted on another thread that at 10 weeks there silkie tried to crow if that helps.

 

[brendapa]

Just wondering if you can sex a 12 -18 wk. old Silkie

Yes, you can, about 90% of them....but there is always that 1 or 2 showing traits of both.
I'm sure most silkie breeders observe thier chicks and make "educated" guesses based on comb, crest & behavior.
Sunday, my 16 week olds were caught in a downpour and before they went into the dogloo for cover, got pretty wet.
My favorite silkie she/he I was unsure of got soaked. The wet head confirmed my doubts. Comb and little wattles say cockerel.
Of 12 chicks, I'm undecided on 2 and they are the buffs.

Are these your chicks you're trying to sex? Post some pic's!

Or, are you buying chicks from someone and they are sexing them for you?
I have 9, 10 weeks old's and I'm positve 5 are pullets, 2 are cockerls and 2 are undecided. The 2 undecided I suspect are cockerels from behavior but need another few weeks to be sure.

Good luck with your silkies.

Brenda​