Please tell me she isn't a he!

[BoerneChickens]

I was working in the coop this weekend to temporarily block off part of it to protect my 8 week old bantams from my 24 week old standard hens until they are a little closer in size. Anyway - I know the little girls were a little worried about the sound of the drill in the coop and my Silkie started making a noise that sounded like "she" was practicing CROWING! Any silkie specialists out there that might be able to tell from my pictures? I know they aren't great pics - if there are specific views I shoudl take to help please let me know. We placed a special order to be able to get a Silkie - and the other one died in shipping - so please please please tell me she is a hen!

Here are the pics -

 

[brendapa]

hmmm, at 1st look she does look like a she. If you could get a better pic, up close of her/his head & comb. I tried to enlarge it and the picture quality is too low.
Very pretty crest if she is a he!

Brenda

 

[BoerneChickens]

I will try to get some more close up pictures of "her" face tomorrow - thanks for the feedback and suggestion!

 

[silky ma]

Take the followingp pics... close up - front face , see if you can part the feathering..of the comb , needed and a side view
of the top hat against a dark background..and a moderate close up, again against a dark background of the tail feathering.

What you are looking for is the following In a Male The comb will be bumpy, crevased, pebbly large and growing bigger.
in a Female the comb will be for the most part round, it will be small and smooth.

The top hat in a Male you will see the feathering start to from a waterfall or elvis effect -feathers will fall from front to back-
fFemale will be uniformally round and plush/ full head of feathers.

The back tail feathers in a male will..as they grow start to elongate and be of all sizes with irredescent coloring showing up in dark colors..whites wiww have a sheen to the feathers.. In Females the tail feathering will be more of the same size, the more pure the silkie the more puff/ rounded the tail area will be, when older the feathering will come to a kind of a point.

 

[chicmom]

In your pic, the silky looks girly to me....but silkies are very hard to figure out.......I also think a comb picture would be helpful....

 

[BoerneChickens]

OK - here are a few more pics - head side and front view and tail shot

Do hese help? I know they still aren't great - she is very skittish and I hate to freak her out trying to catch and hold her still for pics. She is starting to come over for treats but doesn't like the looks of the camera

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

I'm calling it a boy. Looks like it's starting to get a small comb and although there aren't any true streamers yet, it does appear to have the swept back appearance of a boy. This is a total guess, believe me!!

 

[silkiechicken]

How old is it? And are you sure you weren't hearing a warning shriek/call that birds tend to make when scared of something and want to alert the flock?

 

[BoerneChickens]

Quote:
She (still hoping) is 9 weeks old. I thought it might be a warning cry - it sounds different from the other chickens I have but maybe that is just the difference between a Silkie cry and an EE or Marans cry. I hope she is a she because I really don't want a rooster, but I really don't want to give up my only Silkie either.

This isn't really the same topic - but did any of you have trouble getting your Silkies integrated with other standard size chickens? I have been trying for about three weeks and the bigger standard sized girls (19-21 weeks) attack my little Silkie and her bantam BPR buddy. I keep putting the two little girls back into a kennel inside the coop to protect them but I feel bad they don't have very much space to roam around. My Marans doens't bug them at all but the three EEs are vicious. I wsa so upset by them tonight I was contemplating soup but I know it is just in their nature to be territorial.