Pippin's Guide to Silkie Sexing

PippinTheChicken

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Mar 19, 2021
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Pippin's Guide to Sexing Silkies!


20210509_163815_HDR.jpg


1630593663639.png



MALE
  • Tail feathers extend longer than tail
  • Wide U-shaped comb
  • Wattle growth
  • Feathers extending from crest
  • Lower back feathers droop down the sides
  • Neck feathers are long
  • comb is taller than the beak


Screenshot_20210806-152352~2.png


1630593600579.png



FEMALE
  • Round crest (not always reliable)
  • Comb is thin and goes up in 2 parallel lines and join into a small walnut
  • Saddle feathers are in an upside down U shape and don't extend further than the tail
  • Neck feathers are shorter
  • comb is the same height as the beak





Parts of a Rooster

1630593820505.png


1630593835222.png








Myths about silkie sexing
  • If the back claw points upwards, it's female. And if it points down, its male
  • Longer beaks mean rooster and short beaks mean hen
  • If there is a lump on the leg it means rooster***
  • what shape the egg is before it has hatched. When the egg is longer and more narrow, it supposedly male. When the egg is rounder, it’s supposed to be female
  • tying a small weight to a string and hovering it over the chick. if the weight swings in a circular motion, it’s female. If the weight swings in a linear motion, the chick is male.
***all chickens have spur lumps, but the Roosters ones grow into spurs.




Helpful links (and members)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/tips-on-sexing-silkies.1477252/page-5
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/sexing-silkies.75451/

Silkie Sexperts
  • PippinTheChicken
  • LadiesAndJane
  • MysteryChicken
  • PioneerChicks



Other ways

Vent Sexing- checking the reproductive organs of the chick. This is done by carefully holding a chick upside down and squeezing it so that it empties its body of fecal matter. A trained chicken sexer will be able to identify a slight bump that signifies that the chick is male.
I do not suggest this method as it can kill the chick if you are not properly trained

DNA Testing- this can be performed with blood samples, feather samples and eggshell samples. If you send these samples to a lab, they will test for the Z chromosome or W chromosome in birds to determine their sex. Males will have only Z chromosomes and females will have ZW chromosome pairs. It is the females, not the males who determine the sex of the embryo.
 
Last edited:
Pippin's Guide to Sexing Silkies!


20210509_163815_HDR.jpg


1630593663639.png



MALE
  • Tail feathers extend longer than tail
  • Wide U-shaped comb
  • Wattle growth
  • Feathers extending from crest
  • Lower back feathers droop down the sides
  • Neck feathers are long
  • comb is taller than the beak


Screenshot_20210806-152352~2.png


1630593600579.png



FEMALE
  • Round crest (not always reliable)
  • Comb is thin and goes up in 2 parallel lines and join into a small walnut
  • Saddle feathers are in an upside down U shape and don't extend further than the tail
  • Neck feathers are shorter
  • comb is the same height as the beak





Parts of a Rooster

1630593820505.png


1630593835222.png








Myths about silkie sexing
  • If the back claw points upwards, it's female. And if it points down, its male
  • Longer beaks mean rooster and short beaks mean hen
  • If there is a lump on the leg it means rooster***
  • what shape the egg is before it has hatched. When the egg is longer and more narrow, it supposedly male. When the egg is rounder, it’s supposed to be female
  • tying a small weight to a string and hovering it over the chick. if the weight swings in a circular motion, it’s female. If the weight swings in a linear motion, the chick is male.
***all chickens have spur lumps, but the Roosters ones grow into spurs.




Helpful links (and members)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/tips-on-sexing-silkies.1477252/page-5
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/sexing-silkies.75451/

Silkie Sexperts
  • PippinTheChicken
  • LadiesAndJane
  • MysteryChicken
  • PioneerChicks



Other ways

Vent Sexing- checking the reproductive organs of the chick. This is done by carefully holding a chick upside down and squeezing it so that it empties its body of fecal matter. A trained chicken sexer will be able to identify a slight bump that signifies that the chick is male.
I do not suggest this method as it can kill the chick if you are not properly trained

DNA Testing- this can be performed with blood samples, feather samples and eggshell samples. If you send these samples to a lab, they will test for the Z chromosome or W chromosome in birds to determine their sex. Males will have only Z chromosomes and females will have ZW chromosome pairs. It is the females, not the males who determine the sex of the embryo.
This is great. You should turn this into an article. Add some more photos and details and could be great as an article! 😊
 

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