Can you sex my silkies please?!

[Ashley McDaniel]

So, I bought these 2 silkies about 3 months ago. I was told they were both around 1 month of age. However, at the rate they are growing, I believe the bigger one is older. I'm new to owning chickens, and need some help sexing these 2. I think the bigger one is a hen, and the little one is a roo. Any suggestions, and also opinions on their age, and also telling me exactly what to look for when it comes to sexing would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

 

[Pyxis]

Silkies are very hard to sex, so you might be waiting awhile to find out what genders you have here.

However, I don't think the bigger one is a silkie. It looks like a silkie cross, since it has smooth feathers. That could also explain its larger size. It might be a smooth one out of a frizzled silkie project. I think they call those satins now. But with the large size, my guess is it's a cross of some kind, not a purebred silkie.

 

[Ravynscroft]

X2 what Pyxis said...

 

[LilJoe]

×3

 

[SilkiesInSuburb]

Definitely too young to tell. The pure silkie's crest looks a bit feminine, but from my experience it's not a reliable measure. Pictures at five or seven months later might help a bit more.

 

[NNYchick]

Agree with everyone above bigger Silkie is a mix and silkies change so much between 4 and 7 months. My roo didn’t get any of his roo features until after 7 months but started crowing at 4 1/2 months. He is the Silkie in my profile pic but here he is at 5 months in his gawky teenage phase. Most of my pullets started laying at 7-8 months I have a couple that are 8-9 months and not laying or crowing so the jury is still out on them.

 

[SilkiesInSuburb]

Similar to @NNYchick, I also had a rooster who was very hen-like. He didn't crow or even look roostery until he was almost a year old. Silkies are truly a challenge to sex, but it's definitely worth it! Even the roos can be sweet and gentlemanly.

(Not to mention he was as sweet as they come!)

 

[drumstick diva]

agree with Pyxis

 

[NNYchick]

My Vader is a sweet heart too. I have decided that I am going to just love them and not stress over sex anymore. As long as everyone gets along it doesn’t matter. Of course I say that till the next batch hatches. Lol

 

[Lunafarmchickens]

I'd estimate maybe 7 weeks old for the big one, and maybe more like 5 for the other. I'm not sure about the sex, silkies are hard to sex... But here are 4 signs to look out for!

1. The combs, Silkie hens combes are not typically visible.
   
2. Temprement, although it is uncommon with this breed, I have 2 Silkie roos who are both very bossy, but the hens are very docile.
3. Feathers, ive seen quite a few Silkie roos that have a couple of normal feathers in their tail, lets just say the hens look much softer.
4. Crowing, it is rare, but rooster can start crowing as young as 3 weeks old, mine start at 6-10 weeks old, on average 8 weeks. These signs don't always work, this is mostly based on my own experieince... but I hope it was somewhat helpful!