How do you sex a Silkie?

[ssowell]

I have several Silkies 6-8 weeks old. How do I tell which are hens and which are roosters? They all look the same to me.

 

[THough1956]

You can not tell the gender in silkies till they are around 4-5 months old.

 

[twixerella]

silkies are notoriously hard to sex. You might have to wait while until they start crowing or laying eggs. People who have had silkies for a while can get it wrong sometimes. Just play the silkie sexing guessing game.

 

[LilPeeps]

Can you post pics? Generally, lower quality silkies can be sexed much sooner than better birds. Look for more pronounced combs and wattles early on in the males. The males with also develop streamers on the back of the crest and have a generally more upright stance than the females.

 

[Uppity Peon]

Quote:
The other tough part is getting them to pose naturally for the camera!

I suspect this guy came out of a silky egg. He has extra claws on his rear toes!

(edited for spelling)

 

[Rising_Phoenix]

Not to get off topic but that roo is beautiful!

 

[sangel4you]

sure is! so what does everyone do with the extra silkie roos when u find out at 4mo thats what they are? Whos gonna want a silkie roo at that point?!

 

[LilPeeps]

Quote:
The other tough part is getting them to pose naturally for the camera!

I suspect this guy came out of a silky egg. He has extra claws on his rear toes!

http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo10/daud_photos/EECrossRooSmall.jpg

(edited for spelling)

Definately looks like a silkie cross.


Quote:
Depends on what you might need him for. If they're good enough, keep them until they mature then determine whether or not to keep him for breeding, show, etc. Who would want him and for what purpose would depend on his quality and the demand in your area.