Sexing your Silkies (PICTURES AND TIPS - Updated July-5-12)

[BigSkyBird]

So I have 2 silkies that are 5.5 weeks old and was wondering if anyone could see anything pointing to which gender . I know they are still very young but just curious . View attachment 1297995 View attachment 1297996 View attachment 1297997 View attachment 1297998 View attachment 1297999 View attachment 1298000 View attachment 1298001View attachment 1298000 View attachment 1298080 View attachment 1298082 View attachment 1298083 View attachment 1298084 View attachment 1298085 View attachment 1298086 View attachment 1298089

I am no expert, but as no one else has weighed in, I will venture to say that the streamers on the head of the white silky suggest it could be a boy.

 

[BigSkyBird]

Here are 3 of my 4 silkies. What do you think they are? No eggs yet but some definite crowing going on. Also, if the rooster tries that move where he shuffles over to me with his wing down, what does that mean? I assume dominance, I shoo him away.

I am not sure as to the sex of your silkies. However, it sounds like your rooster is “dancing“ for you, which would be courtship behavior, which I believe would suggest he sees he was lower in the pecking order than he is. I suggest that you show the rooster that you are boss. I would look him in the eye and take quick steps toward him and if he does not run away, I would pin him firmly to the ground with my hand for a moment. He also should not mate with the hens in your presence, as you need to be the “dominant rooster.“

 

[JudysMuscovy]

do you think the white one is a male

 

[beth1004]

I am not sure as to the sex of your silkies. However, it sounds like your rooster is “dancing“ for you, which would be courtship behavior, which I believe would suggest he sees he was lower in the pecking order than he is. I suggest that you show the rooster that you are boss. I would look him in the eye and take quick steps toward him and if he does not run away, I would pin him firmly to the ground with my hand for a moment. He also should not mate with the hens in your presence, as you need to be the “dominant rooster.“

Glad my instincts are correct. I have definitely stared him down and stomped at him. Next time if he continues, I'll pin him down.

 

[Lovin Our chickens]

Ok so here are my 11 week old silkies . I tried my best to get good pics hope they are enough to see . The white one if yall can't tell has some pink coming thru at the top of the comb the buff which is the same age doesn't so not sure if that says anything at all . White one is also bigger and stands much more upright .

Cottontail (White silkie)

Caramel(buff silkie)

 

[Ermolko]

This thread is amazing! But waaaaay too long) so I'll just post here)))) I am very confused. I have 3 silkies with 11 RSLs. They all are 10 weeks old. But my roo is already crowing (pretty loud, nothing pathetic about that), pulling other big girls by feathers if he dislikes something, and yesterday I caught him on top of my smallest silkie!!!! What the he'll is wrong with him, he's not supposed to do this all yet, is he??? And he looks kinda fierce too, upright, with large waddles and puffy red crown, head feathers pulled back. Weeeeeeeerd bird. I have another silkie that I just can't figure out if it's a boy. It's white, looks upright, but no saddles or crown, the head feathers are too few to judge. The obvious roo is peach color on the pic.

 

[Faraday40]

This thread is amazing! But waaaaay too long) so I'll just post here)))) I am very confused. I have 3 silkies with 11 RSLs. They all are 10 weeks old. But my roo is already crowing (pretty loud, nothing pathetic about that), pulling other big girls by feathers if he dislikes something, and yesterday I caught him on top of my smallest silkie!!!! What the he'll is wrong with him, he's not supposed to do this all yet, is he??? And he looks kinda fierce too, upright, with large waddles and puffy red crown, head feathers pulled back. Weeeeeeeerd bird. I have another silkie that I just can't figure out if it's a boy. It's white, looks upright, but no saddles or crown, the head feathers are too few to judge. The obvious roo is peach color on the pic.View attachment 1336731 View attachment 1336734

I see no wattles on the white silkie, so I'd guess female. (Mostly because the buff hatch-mate has giant wattles in comparison.) I suppose your silkie boy is an early bloomer, which can happen.

I had a young LF orpington crow & mate at 3 mo old. We were in a rooster vacuum that summer because our former roo had to go to freezer camp. The roo was processed in April but our hens' eggs still looked fertile in June. Crazy! I popped some in the incubator & sure enough, they hatched! I no longer wondered why our little 13 wk old cockerel was hanging around the henhouse. The hens were desperate, so the young cockerel stepped up. (Normally, our mature hens peck at the cockerels for simply standing too close! LOL)

BTW- He's no longer a "little rooster," but he's still our head roo.

 

[bethwray13]

I have two. What do you guys think?

 

[Faraday40]

I have two. What do you guys think?


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How old are they?

 

[bethwray13]

How old are they?

4 months