silkiemama002
Songster
Hi there!
I have three, six week old silkies, and while I know you can't sex them this early, this post is intended to be a reference point/resource for people like me who like to see others journeys (and how they eventually turn out!) I would also love to hear guesses of course but I am fully aware they're just guesses!
I have been posting this in another thread on BYC, but I feel like the title and 2 week age when I started meant it was not getting much traction and people's insights are what I want others to find later on.
I have been posting the following every Wednesday:
1) Clear photos of comb, beak & side profile/stance for each
2) Insights on each chicks behaviour
3) Their weight and growth (later addition in the original post!)
SIX WEEKS | 16TH OCTOBER 2024.
This week has seen some big changes... Patsy and Eddie seem to be having personality transplants
Behaviour:
The original instigator of chest bumping Patsy (the biggest and first born), is no longer the instigator. Now it is the SMALLEST middle child, Eddie, who has been the most timid so far. I was watching them for 15 mins or so, and 'she' was charging Patsy about every two mins.
We are talking about extreme ends of the scale for these chicks, i.e. biggest and smallest, and most dominant vs most timid... Jacks has always been in the middle. So could just pecking order being established. Jacks does join sometimes, but rarely.
Individual peeper deets:
Patsy:
So sweet, so cuddly and so quiet. Does A LOT of preening, we nicknamed her Patsy Preener. She has stopped being as dominant... Eddie is taking over! 'She' is losing a lot of her curiosity in favour of snuggles and falls asleep on you as soon as you pick her up. She is growing lots of black spots by the day! Looks like I have little dalmatian (ok, paint) on my hands
Comb is definitely U shaped and appears to have a lump at the top. It is wider than the others but also not longer than her beak.
Her little cheeks (earlobes?) are now coming in.
Jacks:
Jacks is still ticking along as a sweet, quiet little cuddler. She loves to sit on my shoulder and snuggle. Also does a lot of preening, she is sooo round and fluffy with a tiny little head. She has grown the most as you'll see below!
Comb is by far the smallest; it is narrow but also looks like a U at the very top. It isn't as bumpy as the other two and also not longer than her beak.
Her little cheeks (earlobes?) are also visible.
Eddie:
The BIGGEST change in personality this week! 'She's' become SO much more confident, and full time chest bumper. Her stance has also changed a bit too I think. I added an extra photo of her looking out the window like a meerkat! She has also bitten my finger a couple of times when I go to give them things. Preens the least. Not screaming as much when picked up but she still peeps ALL DAY. She has a lot of black spots coming through... looks like I have two paints!
Comb is kinda V, kinda U, kinda square at the top LOL. Only thing I am sure of is that it is in between the other two when it comes to width. Not longer than beak.
No earlobes/cheeks visible.
I THINK there may be the start of some wattles... the other two don't have this. I've added an extra photo that shows what I am looking at. Any insights appreciated!
My thoughts:
They change so much each week, no wonder sexing silkies is so hard!
I really enjoy my weekly updates though, so looking forward to hearing your guesses and hope you join me on the journey!
I have three, six week old silkies, and while I know you can't sex them this early, this post is intended to be a reference point/resource for people like me who like to see others journeys (and how they eventually turn out!) I would also love to hear guesses of course but I am fully aware they're just guesses!
I have been posting this in another thread on BYC, but I feel like the title and 2 week age when I started meant it was not getting much traction and people's insights are what I want others to find later on.
I have been posting the following every Wednesday:
1) Clear photos of comb, beak & side profile/stance for each
2) Insights on each chicks behaviour
3) Their weight and growth (later addition in the original post!)
SIX WEEKS | 16TH OCTOBER 2024.
This week has seen some big changes... Patsy and Eddie seem to be having personality transplants
Behaviour:
The original instigator of chest bumping Patsy (the biggest and first born), is no longer the instigator. Now it is the SMALLEST middle child, Eddie, who has been the most timid so far. I was watching them for 15 mins or so, and 'she' was charging Patsy about every two mins.
We are talking about extreme ends of the scale for these chicks, i.e. biggest and smallest, and most dominant vs most timid... Jacks has always been in the middle. So could just pecking order being established. Jacks does join sometimes, but rarely.
Individual peeper deets:
Patsy:
So sweet, so cuddly and so quiet. Does A LOT of preening, we nicknamed her Patsy Preener. She has stopped being as dominant... Eddie is taking over! 'She' is losing a lot of her curiosity in favour of snuggles and falls asleep on you as soon as you pick her up. She is growing lots of black spots by the day! Looks like I have little dalmatian (ok, paint) on my hands
Comb is definitely U shaped and appears to have a lump at the top. It is wider than the others but also not longer than her beak.
Her little cheeks (earlobes?) are now coming in.
- Weight at hatch: Approx 35g
- Weight today: 174g
- Gain this week 42g
- Total gain since hatch: 397%
Jacks:
Jacks is still ticking along as a sweet, quiet little cuddler. She loves to sit on my shoulder and snuggle. Also does a lot of preening, she is sooo round and fluffy with a tiny little head. She has grown the most as you'll see below!
Comb is by far the smallest; it is narrow but also looks like a U at the very top. It isn't as bumpy as the other two and also not longer than her beak.
Her little cheeks (earlobes?) are also visible.
- At hatch: Approx 24g
- Weight today: 163g
- Gain this week, also 42g.
- Total gain since hatch: 579%
Eddie:
The BIGGEST change in personality this week! 'She's' become SO much more confident, and full time chest bumper. Her stance has also changed a bit too I think. I added an extra photo of her looking out the window like a meerkat! She has also bitten my finger a couple of times when I go to give them things. Preens the least. Not screaming as much when picked up but she still peeps ALL DAY. She has a lot of black spots coming through... looks like I have two paints!
Comb is kinda V, kinda U, kinda square at the top LOL. Only thing I am sure of is that it is in between the other two when it comes to width. Not longer than beak.
No earlobes/cheeks visible.
I THINK there may be the start of some wattles... the other two don't have this. I've added an extra photo that shows what I am looking at. Any insights appreciated!
- At hatch: Approx 32g
- Weight today: 137g
- Gain this week: 29g.
- Total gain since hatch: 328%
My thoughts:
They change so much each week, no wonder sexing silkies is so hard!
I really enjoy my weekly updates though, so looking forward to hearing your guesses and hope you join me on the journey!
Last edited:
Even though Jacks and Eddie are relatively the same size, something deep down in me says that Jacks is a female, despite her size....And that Eddie is a male. Patsy is questionable to me.
(I am a very sentimental person haha)
