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

HAPPYCHICKENLADY17 · Feb 3, 2020

MY LITTLE SILKIE TURNED OUT TO BE A HEN.....

HAPPYCHICKENLADY17 · Feb 3, 2020

NancyD84 said:
Looks female so far..

yes , she turned out to be a hen

Faraday40 · Feb 3, 2020

Colster said:
Hi all,

Thanks for the add. We've got these 4 silkies aged approx. 11 weeks. I think Hawkins (firat shown after white one) is a hen but not sure and also not sure about the other three. Can any one help to identify roo or hen please?

Thanks in advance.

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"Hawkins" looks very female. I'm pretty sure if they're all the same age, then she's a girl.

The rest look male-ish to me.
The White has a very wide comb and big wattles. Same for Spike. Both have a rooster's upright stance.
Indie stands a little different, but has some brick red coloring on the wings. (Spike also has some) This can mean rooster. The comb & wattles are slightly big, so my guess is male.

As they age you should see & feel hair-like streamers on the males' crests. Females will look more puffy & round.

Colster · Feb 3, 2020

Faraday40 said:
"Hawkins" looks very female. I'm pretty sure if they're all the same age, then she's a girl.

The rest look male-ish to me.
The White has a very wide comb and big wattles. Same for Spike. Both have a rooster's upright stance.
Indie stands a little different, but has some brick red coloring on the wings. (Spike also has some) This can mean rooster. The comb & wattles are slightly big, so my guess is male.

As they age you should see & feel hair-like streamers on the males' crests. Females will look more puffy & round.

Thanks for your quick response Faraday40.

BrahmaMom1797 · Apr 10, 2020

One of our friends found this little one cold in the park super early in the morning cold and alone yesterday. “She’s” doing well and “she’s” loving “her” new life so far. I was wondering if anyone would be able to maybe tell “her” sex and maybe age too? Seems to be a little happy bird now! Photos are from today and yesterday (right after he found the bird and than later that night) Any help is appreciated!

Faraday40 · Apr 10, 2020

BrahmaMom1797 said:
View attachment 2084095 View attachment 2084096 View attachment 2084079 One of our friends found this little one cold in the park super early in the morning cold and alone yesterday. “She’s” doing well and “she’s” loving “her” new life so far. I was wondering if anyone would be able to maybe tell “her” sex and maybe age too? Seems to be a little happy bird now! Photos are from today and yesterday (right after he found the bird and than later that night) Any help is appreciated!

That's an adorable buff silkie!!!!

Much will depend on age but that's an unknown. A good close up of the comb area may help.

At a glance from the distance it looks female. Of course they all look female when young. I'd get it some 'chick feed' (starter/grower formula) The higher protein won't hurt an adult, but the calcium in chicken layer feed could cause long term problems if fed to chicks or roosters. So strange that you'd find it in a park. Were any houses nearby where she could have slipped under a fence? I've heard of people abandoning unwanted chickens in forest preserves ..... feeding wildlife. ( A horrible and frightening way to die all alone & scared! Most domestic chickens have little survival skills. It would be better to butcher in a humane way.)

BrahmaMom1797 · Apr 10, 2020

Faraday40 said:
That's an adorable buff silkie!!!!

Much will depend on age but that's an unknown. A good close up of the comb area may help.

At a glance from the distance it looks female. Of course they all look female when young. I'd get it some 'chick feed' (starter/grower formula) The higher protein won't hurt an adult, but the calcium in chicken layer feed could cause long term problems if fed to chicks or roosters. So strange that you'd find it in a park. Were any houses nearby where she could have slipped under a fence? I've heard of people abandoning unwanted chickens in forest preserves ..... feeding wildlife. ( A horrible and frightening way to die all alone & scared! Most domestic chickens have little survival skills. It would be better to butcher in a humane way.)

I’ve already got them started with getting them chick feed and such. She’s strong and still healthy. I don’t see any streamers and I saw some on my boy when he was the same size but they are very late notice birds. I do know I need to see the comb soon so I can get a better grasp on sex, I’ll post it when I get it if I’m stumped. I don’t think there were any houses she could’ve gotten from cause it was a park surrounded but busy streets in the middle of a city. She’s a lucky bird she got picked up by someone good. I’ll keep update with new photos as I get them!