Well, for my little brother's birthday I was going to get him two silkie hens, one buff and one white. However I'm going to the swap and I know some people have been tricked by certain people on the gender of the birds. I am definitely no Silkie expert, I don't know really anything about them! If someone could help my by telling me the main factors for rooster and hen, as well as pet quality and show quality, it would be a great help! Also, any other info you may have that I might need.
Let's hope you're getting adults. . . . Roosters will have a very grumpy looking face with a large, dark walnut (looks like a brain) comb, they also have a smaller crest and a more droopy looking tail. Also, if adult, you should see the growth of spurs. Hens will be very simply looking - Large, poofy crest, poofy tail, no droopiness of feathers, and a pretty level body. Also, their faces will be almost entirely hidden or pretty simple looking. I'm no expert with Silkie SOP, but poor quality silkies will have straggly or ugly looking coats/plumage, small crests, rather flat skulls (they should have a vault, or bump, on their skull) single combs (a saw tooth edge) or a lack of feathering in areas like the feet.
Quote:... Oh yes, I should have mentioned that. Ok, gotcha. It shouldn't be too hard, I knew to watch out for single combs but I didn't know about most of that, especially not the flat skull thing. Now to memorize this for Sunday...
I don't think people are trying to trick, you the suckers are REALLY hard to sex. first familiarize your self with the standard. you want a bird with dark skin and comb. the correct shaped comb, a good size crest ( It doesn't have to be crazy huge,) dark eyes, good beard, wings that are held tight to the body and are parallel to the ground. a well fluffed cushion, very few if any hard feathers, five toes, feathers on the outside and middle toe. whites can look yellow from to much corn or sun. buffs should not have black or smutty feathers, also it is harder to get their combs dark. I have fond the rounder crests tend to be girls and the more football helmet shaped crest is a boy ( from about 1-6 months) I have had some I questioned until 9 months. females don't have much of a comb look for "streamers " on boys extra long feathers in the crest Streamers that is my avatar before his comb popped up
