Sexing Silkie Chicks!

[jeylacooper]

Hello! My two chicks are 7 weeks old, and i've been wondering what sex they are. ive looked up different methods but they all are so different. Another set of eyes should definitely help. Attached are photos of different angles. The lighter one is a full silkie, the other black chick is a silkie frizzle mix. Hopefully i can find out!

 

[Stacyoung13]

A frizzled silkie is called a ‘Sizzle’ don’t know why...I just found out this info a few weeks ago. Silkies are really hard to sex... until they are 4-5 months, everything would be a guess!! I have 25+ silkies, and sometimes I can’t tell until they lay or crow...I would GUESS that the lighter one is a Pullet and the darker one 49-51%, leaning towards cockerel. They are beautiful birds!!!!

 

[MickWithChicks]

A frizzled silkie is called a ‘Sizzle’ don’t know why...I just found out this info a few weeks ago.

Because if you mash the words Silkie and Frizzle together, you get Sizzle!

I won't chime in on the sexing of the birds as I've never owned silkie chicks and they all look the same to me at that age.

 

[Matzwd]

A straight in comb pic with Crest pulled back in the full silkie would help, but it's still a little early. Given the growth on the straight comb of the black one, I would say very likely a cockerel.

 

[NNYchick]

Really is too early to tell. One thing that stands out is the black one is starting to get wattles and pink at the base of the comb, which may point to roo but still just a guess.
One thing that is important to know if you do end up with a pair don’t breed them together. 2 frizzles produce a frazzle chick which is a genetic mutation that causes the feathers to be brittle and break off, they can also have internal organ issues as well.

 

[jeylacooper]

Really is too early to tell. One thing that stands out is the black one is starting to get wattles and pink at the base of the comb, which may point to roo but still just a guess.
One thing that is important to know if you do end up with a pair don’t breed them together. 2 frizzles produce a frazzle chick which is a genetic mutation that causes the feathers to be brittle and break off, they can also have internal organ issues as well.

if you could go more in to depth about the breeding? i'm confused as i don't have two frizzles. would i still be able to breed the sizzle and the silkie together?

 

[Lizzy733]

The one with wattles would definitely raise my concerns - not even my sex links had wattles at this age. Behavior can be a good indicator too. My silkie pullet was a real introvert at that age and was really fussed about being handled. Boys are typically very assertive.

 

[Stacyoung13]

if you could go more in to depth about the breeding? i'm confused as i don't have two frizzles. would i still be able to breed the sizzle and the silkie together?

Yes you can...as long as only the one has the frizzle gene. I just hatched 4 sizzles, (frizzled silkie), a week ago!

 

[NNYchick]

You can breed a Silkie and a frizzle. Maybe it’s the photos but I do not see any Silkie feathers in any of the above photos. Are all 8 pictures of the same bird?

 

[jeylacooper]

You can breed a Silkie and a frizzle. Maybe it’s the photos but I do not see any Silkie feathers in any of the above photos. Are all 8 pictures of the same bird?

the first three are what i was told was a full silkie, the rest of the pictures are what i was told is a sizzle. i've actually been watching videos and looking at pictures of pure silkies at their age, and i'm starting to think it is not a full silkie but i'm still not quite sure.