crash course on sexing 1 month old silkies please - Pics Added

[shaggy]

i got my wife interested in chickens - we already have 4 hens

she wants a silkie - and we need to try our best to get a female


someone nearby is selling 1-month old white silkies --- does anyone have any tips, tricks, old wives tales, or any other information that *might lead us to picking the right gender?

i know they are the hardest to sex accurately - and probably even harder to sex at 1 month old ... but i desperately want the wife involved in "the chicken project"

any and all information is greatly appreciated

 

[jossanne]

I'm far from an expert, as I've got my first silkies and they're only 9 weeks old. But I'm thinking (hoping?) that I've guessed mine right. I think that it might work if you look at crest development, if it's started growing much yet. I think the males will have more of a mohawk look, and the females will be more poofy and rounded. It worked on my polish, so...

But my advice is probably worth what you pay for it! Good luck!

 

[erthymom2]

Depending on the price of the silkies, you could get a few that you think might be girls and if you end up with a boy from that selection , you shouldn't have a hard time selling it. You may actually decide to keep him on so you can have baby's of your own later.

 

[Riocotesei]

Try to see how wide the comb is. When it's wider it's generally a rooster.

There is an old wives tale where you hold the chick on its back in your hand, and if a leg sticks out it's a boy, and if it keeps both legs tucked in, it's a girl.
I don't know if its true or not though.

 

[ZZsBabiez]

Can you post some pics so we can see? I love guessing the gender.. but Silkies are the hardest..

I have one that hatched in November and I am still not sure!! LOL

 

[shaggy]

thank you for all the advice

i am waiting for the lady to call me back and i will go get them

2 hour drive round trip --- so once i get them i will post the pictures

 

[Riocotesei]

Yay! Drive safe!

 

[shaggy]

Quote:
woohoo ... they got some to spare

but they are making me wait until tomorrow ... turns out to be the same place i got my first 4 hens

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

The better the quality the harder it is to sex them. If they have partridge or grey, get the ones with the most penciling all over the body--they are more likely to be female. If they have cuckoo, get the darkest ones--they have a greater chance of being female.

If by wider comb you mean wider than tall, that is incorrect--all silkie combs should be wider than tall according to the standard. If you mean overall larger that other same age silkies, that is a clue, but not a guarantee that the bird may be male.

If you get older birds you are going to have a better chance of assessing their gender.

Worst case scenario, you have 50% chance of being right. Good luck!

 

[shaggy]

they will be white silkies

about a month old --- give or take

my wife is very excited