Roosters Doing the Squat?

[CityChicker]

Hey Everyone!

I am still trying to figure out the gender on an ambiguous Silkie. I posted pictures about a month ago I think and most people thought he/she was a roo. The birds comb has continued to grow and is quite substantial at this point (much bigger than any other Silkie hen I have ever had and bigger even than a lot of my previous Silkie roos).

The bird though is always still right by one particular area where one of the birds is laying. He/she is the only bird ever over by the eggs. The bird is also very tame and has now started to do the mating squat. It squats down and solicits us like tame hens sometimes will. I have seen other male birds on occasion do this, but I don't ever recall having one of my roos do it.

Has anyone else ever had a rooster do that? The bird still has no signs of streemers or crowing whatsoever. I think he/she is now six months old. I know Silkies are sometimes very gender ambiguous, but if this bird is a hen- it has a freakishly large comb/wattles. The wattles are now about 1/4-1/2 inches long and the comb is slightly more than a 1/2 inch long and almost as tall. I have virtually never seen that in a Silkie hen, but I am not a Silkie breeder. I have only had maybe 30-40 Silkies over the years.

Here is one of the pics from about a month ago. The comb/wattles are now bigger....

 

[juliechick]

From this photo and you description, I'd say hen. Can you get a full body shot of it?

 

[CityChicker]

Thank you. I will try to get a newer picture. At this point, I am thinking about separating the bird to see if it is the one laying the eggs.

 

[jeslewmazer]

I have had stags/young roos of different breeds that do that squatting thing when I get close. I don't have any Silkies though. It tends to only happen when there is a older more dominate roo in with the bunch. I think it is so they won't get beat-up if the older roo thinks its a hen. I find it hilarious.

 

[Linkoso]

The crest looks rooish. Even comb and wattles... I guess rooster.

I had a rooster last year, a mixed breed with silkie in him, who was again in the whole 8 months before he turned out to be a rooster. Other roosters were mating with him, he looked like a hen, not he crowed. Then suddenly he began to develop saddle feathers, combs and wattles and he attempted to crow.

Roos in the nest, I have many of. They show the girls: Here you can lay eggs, with a cooing sound!

You can touch the pubic bones on the bird to feel if it's laying eggs. If they're "closed", it's not. If there is a interval, about 4-5cm between them it's activ laying!