Silkie 12 weeks. Hen or rooster?

[nurseemi]

This is Pompom (I know, so original. My daughter named her/him). S/he is 12 weeks old. She's got a bit of a comb going on but a nice big poofy head. What do you think?

 

[perchie.girl]

hes a cutie pie. Seriously untill they Crow there is no way to tell unless you are a Silky breeder.

I had two Roos what a hoot they were.

OH and WElcome to BYC

deb

 

[nurseemi]

Oh thank you so much yes it's only my second time posting here!
So you're leaning towards cockerel then? When you say 'he's a cutie pie'?

 

[perchie.girl]

Oh thank you so much

yes it's only my second time posting here!
So you're leaning towards cockerel then? When you say 'he's a cutie pie'?

meaning I dont have a clue... LOL. I hope you can have a cockrel... they are a hoot. from the time they do their firs Kazooo crows till they learn their nature.

But looking at the posture upright neck upright tail... thats the stance of a cockrel... But seriously even exprerienced silky owners will rarely be able to identify the sex on a silky.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

oh and for what its worth well bred Silkeys dont have much of a comb.

deb

 

[nurseemi]

We can but I already have a beautiful Cochin/pekin cockerel same age who's an absolute sweetie.
This is my first time with chickens! We bought them as day old chicks from a farm near by with the intention of keeping them as pets for the kids (and have some bonus eggs!) so the show quality stuff doesn't really bother me
I just worry that having 2 boys (if indeed Pompom is a boy) would result in fights. Their coop is huge though- lots of room with a big outside run area on the grass. (We live in Australia - too many predators to free range where I live).
I have 2x pekin 2x Polish and 2x silkies. And Pompom is definitely at the bottom of the pecking order! When they were little chicks, Pompom would follow my pekin cockerel around everywhere like he was her mum! Stick her little beak under his wing. It was so cute.

 

[hnichols]

I have 2 roosters in my pen at the moment probs 10x5m and i have no trouble. Just really depends on how your roosters tolerates younger or odler roosters. My roosters are gorgeous boys and protect my girls well. I have 32 chickens and i live in Australia too but watch out for hawks they have killed att least 15 of my chooks this year.

 

[nurseemi]

That's good to know! I guess if they've been raised together and haven't been fighting yet, they probably won't? Or maybe it means Pompom is a girl? She's very docile and doesn't do any chest bumping or boy like behavior (yet!).

I haven't seen any Hawks around my area but lots of magpies, butcher birds, bush Turkeys, possums, kangaroos and cockatoos. Would any of them hurt my chickens? They're in an enclosed run although there's no roof (only on the coop)

 

[hnichols]

I have orchad netting up on all my pens after my chickens deaths. Magpies do attck my silver laced wyandotte bat never actually severly damage her because my roosters interfere. I did have two pullets killed by feral cats (it climbed the fence) and then around my chicken pens i have smaller 1m high snake wire to stop foxes or dogs go underneath to drag chickns out.

 

[perchie.girl]

I have had several cockrels grow up toghether. As long as they have enough hens... there is no problem Acutally Roosters in genral are cooperative. their job is to protect the hens from predators.

One roo will become dominant. Meaning he wil be come the leader. After a few dominance displays. That dominant roo will have control of the whole flock.. The others will become eyes to see the predators. of course one or two will try to get in a lick or two... but usually that results in a bit of feather pulling and chasing about. After that all is well.

deb