Pullet or Roo?? She is now 6 months old today.

[Relynn]

So, this is Sprite, and she is a bit mean. She attacks as if a rooster, so I am beginning to think she is a he... no eggs yet, so not any real way to say either or. I am thinking she may have killed my little silkie roo this morning, because I heard some squawking, but decided it could have been normal noise and left them alone. My husband found my roo being cuddled by the female silkies, and Sprite just walking on him. He brought Honey inside, and he died a few hours later... I am not sure what happened, but he was fine yesterday. Again, Sprite is 6 months old today, and this is not a guess, I got her when she was 2 days old and still had an egg tooth.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Sorry to hear about your Silkie Roo

Guessing Sprite to be a pullet, not seeing any saddle/hackle feathering. Comb is awfully red so she should start laying in a few months. If you approach her & she squats, it'll be a matter of weeks.

Is she the only LF with the Silkies? If you suspect her having killed the Silkie, I'd keep a very close eye on their interactions. What is the size of their Coop/Run, her grumpiness could be overcrowding.

 

[Relynn]

Sorry to hear about your Silkie Roo

Guessing Sprite to be a pullet, not seeing any saddle/hackle feathering. Comb is awfully red so she should start laying in a few months. If you approach her & she squats, it'll be a matter of weeks.

Is she the only LF with the Silkies? If you suspect her having killed the Silkie, I'd keep a very close eye on their interactions. What is the size of their Coop/Run, her grumpiness could be overcrowding.

The length of the run is 8 feet, and it is 4 feet wide. There were only 5 birds in it, so I am pretty certain it was not an overcrowding issue. The coop itself is 4 feet x 4 feet...

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I’m sorry on the loss of your silkie.
Sprite looks like a pullet. If she is harassing the silkies you should remove her ASAP. You mentioned that she was stepping on your silkie rooster I think you should house Sprite in her own coop & run.

 

[chickens really]

I actually think Sprite is a Cockerel...I'll tag someone to take a look though...
@drumstick diva @junebuggena

 

[Folly's place]

I agree with CR, looks boyish to me. You say Sprite is attacking? Who? If humans, that nails it! Silkies often can't do well with big birds, and need separate housing. If this bird is human aggressive, it should be time for the crock pot.
Mary

 

[Chickassan]

Sprites a boy,and definitely shouldn't be in with silkies.

 

[junebuggena]

Pullet. At six months of age, there are no traces of this bird being male at all. It's a pullet with the Mahogany gene, not a cockerel with red leakage.
She probably won't get enough light exposure to trigger egg production till after the solstice.

 

[sourland]

Whatever the gender, and I lean cockerel, remove before you lose more silkies.

 

[azygous]

Sprite appears to be a pullet to me. I also believe your Silkie roo's death was coincidental. How old was he?

If Sprite was a cockerel, you would have heard some hoarse attempts at crowing by now.

Silkies almost never have a fair advantage with standard size breeds. They're lovers, not fighters.