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

[Jamiesilkie]

Hi all, looking for some help in sexing these beardless silkie chicks. They are 3 months at this point. I am hoping the first and second last are pullets but I have a feeling three may be roosters. What do you think?

 

[Rustyshun]

Thank you for posting this info! It has been very helpful to me.

 

[Wildwest]

Can you help me and tell me if I have a hen or a roo? Got it as a chick on March 22nd. Was thinking a hen but not sure now.

 

[Rustyshun]

Do you have a full body pic?

 

[hbrown322]

Hey guys! I’m trying to sex a few of my silkies. Here are two that I’m thinking are roosters.

And then these two I’m pretty sure are pullets.

Here are the two black ones right next to each other. I think the left is a roo.

I have a lady interested in the roosters. I just want to make sure I don’t give her an accidental pullet! Any help would be much appreciated!

 

[amberlynne99]

how young can a silkie be sexed? is 4 months too early?

 

[KellyReed]

This may not be the right way but could somebody make a guess for me. I'm real sure my white is a boy, acted like it from day 1 too (excuse his dirty hair its bath day)
I am wondering about my blue... hoping for a hen, I have a black that looks like a hen, but I'm up in the air with this one. They are 4 months old.

 

[BirdieandFifi]

This may not be the right way but could somebody make a guess for me. I'm real sure my white is a boy, acted like it from day 1 too (excuse his dirty hair its bath day)
I am wondering about my blue... hoping for a hen, I have a black that looks like a hen, but I'm up in the air with this one. They are 4 months old.View attachment 1677061 View attachment 1677062 View attachment 1677061 View attachment 1677062

Most likely you’ll be asked for clear photos. Hard to tell if our black has streamers from the photo. The white does look like a roo though. My boy just started crowing and his comb is half of your white silkies. But without a better and more clear head shot it’s hard to see if either have streamers and are roos for sure.

 

[KellyReed]

Here’s his head...

 

[Faraday40]

@KellyReed
The white silkie looks male to me. Can you try to get a close up of the black silkie's comb? maybe a face profile & a full body shot with the normal posture. The more pics the better.

The 1st silkies we hatched were easy to sex
Male - stood tall & had very wide comb

Female - extremely narrow comb & slouched posture



We hatched another one and thought was male at 6 wks b/c of the wide-ish comb. This one always stood alert / tall as a chick. We planned to keep him until he crowed.

By 10 weeks the comb stayed the same.


By 12 weeks, we changed our guess to female.
Round head - no streamers



She'll be 3 years old soon. She lays eggs, goes broody about 4-5xs / year...... but she also crows.