New to Silkies and I have questions

[alknoll]

Hi all,

I recently hatched 4 Silkies. 3 Blue/Grey and 1 black. I read some things about trying to sex them, and one article said round heads at hatch are female and square are male. If that’s the case, I think I have 2 hens and 2 Roos. Is there any way to tell the gender of Silkies? Some people on here have said they still didn’t know gender when they were full grown.

My next question is when are they fully feathered? Standards are fully feathered at 6-8 weeks, are the Silkies the same? I live in SE Michigan so it will be cold here fast

thanks for your help

above is a “round head”

here is a “square head”

 

[Hei 20]

Hi all,

I recently hatched 4 Silkies. 3 Blue/Grey and 1 black. I read some things about trying to sex them, and one article said round heads at hatch are female and square are male. If that’s the case, I think I have 2 hens and 2 Roos. Is there any way to tell the gender of Silkies? Some people on here have said they still didn’t know gender when they were full grown.

My next question is when are they fully feathered? Standards are fully feathered at 6-8 weeks, are the Silkies the same? I live in SE Michigan so it will be cold here fast

thanks for your help
View attachment 2404744
above is a “round head”

View attachment 2404745
here is a “square head”

So Adorable!!!

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

I don’t know about sexing silkies, but I just had to tell you how beautiful your new babies are! ❤❤❤

 

[The Cave]

From what I know, it is hard until they are a bit older...this thread might help

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-pictures-and-tips-updated-july-5-12.609085/

 

[FunkyChickenButt]

In all my research and my experience as a new chicken mother, you really can’t tell for some until they’re 5-6 months along. I tried to guess with my young chicks and even got one that looked very feminine at 3 months old—started crowing at 5 months! So sad, we can’t have roosters in my area so he had to find a new home.

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

Waaaayyy too young to tell if boys or girls! But would be interesting if you keep an eye on those ones you call square and round and see if your right in a few months time. Post some pics in a good few weeks or months and people on here can help you figure out if they are boys or girls. Some Silkies can keep you guessing till you hear a crow or see her lay an egg.
...Oh and they are sooooo gorgeous!

 

[alknoll]

Waaaayyy too young to tell if boys or girls! But would be interesting if you keep an eye on those ones you call square and round and see if your right in a few months time. Post some pics in a good few weeks or months and people on here can help you figure out if they are boys or girls. Some Silkies can keep you guessing till you hear a crow or see her lay an egg.
...Oh and they are sooooo gorgeous!

I will! This is fun

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Beautiful babies! Unfortunately how they look as chicks is not very helpful in determining gender. You won’t know for sure until at least 3 to 4 months of age maybe even later for some of them. One way to determine now, if you are unable to wait that long, is to send the feathers in for DNA testing. Cost anywhere between $13-$20 per bird so it’s not cheap but some people do this when they need/want/have to know!
Have fun with your little Silkies, they are an awesome breed!