Chicken Breed Focus - Silkie

[Katlinalyssa]

@Hinotori would you say my white silkie could be a rooster? Based on the orangish feathers on its head and neck? I’ve been wondering because the way it walks and stands is totally different from the black one! It’s head is always up and standing tall. The black silkie is always walking low to the ground.

 

[Hinotori]

The orange is only somewhat accurate on partridge chicks that are over 8 weeks. I mis-sex at that age a lot. Interestingly, I haven't been wrong on one I sexed as a female at that age. Ones Ive thought were male turned out to be female.

All other colors are a guess unless you're used to chicks of a line and know how their comb and wattles develop at certain ages. Even then it isn't super accurate.

Chicks from good bloodlines in any other color can be very hard to sex. Sometimes taking until the bird lays at 9 months.

 

[Hinotori]

These look somewhere around 8 weeks.

Females

Male

Male on left, female on right. See the orange I was talking about. It's very bright and is only accurate for partridge.

 

[Hinotori]

View attachment 1736698 @Hinotori would you say my white silkie could be a rooster? Based on the orangish feathers on its head and neck? I’ve been wondering because the way it walks and stands is totally different from the black one! It’s head is always up and standing tall. The black silkie is always walking low to the ground.

There is a good chance that chick will feather in fully white.

 

[Katlinalyssa]

These look somewhere around 8 weeks.

Females
View attachment 1736709 View attachment 1736710

Male
View attachment 1736712

Male on left, female on right. See the orange I was talking about. It's very bright and is only accurate for partridge.
View attachment 1736718

Oohh bummer I thought it was for all silkies Thank you for the info though!

 

[Katlinalyssa]

There is a good chance that chick will feather in fully white.

I was hoping it could be splash. It took its first dust bath in some dry dirt yesterday and it’s a light Brown color now haha

 

[Sylvester017]

@Hinotori
On chick breeds like Welsummers and some Partridge breeds is it true that the darker lines on the faces, heads, and backs of chicks indicate females while the paler line markings are more indicative of males? I know with Cuckoo pattern birds the small tight white spot on top of the chick's head is indicative of female chicks while the broader wide white splashing on the heads are usually males. Of course there is always an exception but over the years of following breeders threads this seems to be an emerging way to tell Partridge or Cuckoo chick sexes. I don't breed but just info I pick up from reading threads on other breeds. i know when I picked out my Cuckoo Dominique chicks at the feed store a couple years ago I made sure not to pick any chicks with big white light splashing on their heads and only picked the tight small white dot on the heads and I did get ALL pullets!

Hard to tell until they actually crow or lay an egg LOL!

 

[Hinotori]

Lines on the face for partridge don't mean anything. For everyone who gets a chick that might fit a preconceived pattern, I can show more that don't.

Now if only we could make silkies into an autosexing breed like the say the cream legbar.

That would be nice. Chicks actual different color at hatch

 

[Sylvester017]

These look somewhere around 8 weeks.

Females
View attachment 1736709 View attachment 1736710

Male
View attachment 1736712

Male on left, female on right. See the orange I was talking about. It's very bright and is only accurate for partridge.
View attachment 1736718

Now, looking at your female and male chick photos the female one DOES have the dark eyeliner and darker spottings that the male doesn't have plus he's a bit more colorful. I would pick out sexes based on that alone as a newbie. The stances of females from males don't always indicate sexes but juvenile colors seem to be more indicative. As newly hatched chicks I agree there's no way to tell until the baby fuzz drops off and juvenile feathers start to come in. Of course I'm talking only Partridge Silkies and not the other colors. And of course, you know your own line of hatchlings and have experience with your Silkies. LOVE your photos! Smiles

 

[Hinotori]

That male is a descendant of cross of two unrelated lines. I'm working on all my males having lighter feathers to start with to help sex them. I only get a few each hatch like that. They also tend to be the better looking males

Example is this

Became the one on the right (sorry it's a molting picture)