Silkie gender. All boys... or too early to tell? Picture heavy

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

Bop looks like a boy

Can I ask why? I like being educated on how to tell with Silkies. Comb isn't big? Streamers? Tail high? Thick legs? Not standing upright?

 

[Smileybans]

@Aunt Angus Im not any good at sexing them either and I keep thinking the buff ones are boys because their crest looks so different. I read somewhere that if it was pushed back and not so poofy they’re more likely to be a boy. But then I also read that the size of the crest depends on the vault of their skull when they’re born. So I have no idea. The buff ones are the only two without poofy crests. I just wanted silkies because I love how cute they are. My husband said the naked neck ones look like the trees in the Lorax. So he likes those ones as well. I also want to be able to hatch my own eggs and their broodieness will come in handy.

@The Cave If Bop is a boy there probably won’t be any crowing. I have them in with a 24 week old EE who is the boss. But I’m hoping for eggs. I have three boys as it is and not enough girls.

 

[That_australian_lad]

hens

 

[Smileybans]

Bop looks like a boy

I have the same questions as @Silkielee. I’d like to be able to tell better if I’m going to raise them. I thought Easter eggers were hard to tell. They’re a cake walk compared to these five.

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

@Aunt Angus Im not any good at sexing them either and I keep thinking the buff ones are boys because their crest looks so different. I read somewhere that if it was pushed back and not so poofy they’re more likely to be a boy. But then I also read that the size of the crest depends on the vault of their skull when they’re born. So I have no idea. The buff ones are the only two without poofy crests. I just wanted silkies because I love how cute they are. My husband said the naked neck ones look like the trees in the Lorax. So he likes those ones as well. I also want to be able to hatch my own eggs and their broodieness will come in handy.

@The Cave If Bop is a boy there probably won’t be any crowing. I have them in with a 24 week old EE who is the boss. But I’m hoping for eggs. I have three boys as it is and not enough girls.

Silkies are hard. I've been trying to figure out alternate methods with them, because while there are things you can look for, apparently even those who've bred them for ages get fooled every once and a while. I've been trying to see if there's a way to figure out the sex using growth rate (as cockerels end up heavier than pullets, even if they're the same size at hatch), but my first set of data though promising didn't produce a perfect (or near perfect) method at 5 weeks (which was my goal). I'm going to try extending it out to 9 weeks this year to see if it makes a difference. With that method, I correctly predicted ~70% of the chick's sexes, which is promising, but higher would be better and I need to repeat it multiple times to see if it holds that percentage.

The size of the crest does have something to do with vaulted skulls, however, it also has to do with genes unrelated to the skull. Basically think of it as the interaction of genes causing no crest, some crest, or full crest, whereas having a vaulted skull makes a full crest look extra full so people breeding for show like them. Personally, they freak me out a bit because they make the bird more susceptible to head injury deaths, like from being pecked by other chickens.

 

[Aunt Angus]

@Aunt Angus Im not any good at sexing them either and I keep thinking the buff ones are boys because their crest looks so different. I read somewhere that if it was pushed back and not so poofy they’re more likely to be a boy. But then I also read that the size of the crest depends on the vault of their skull when they’re born. So I have no idea. The buff ones are the only two without poofy crests. I just wanted silkies because I love how cute they are. My husband said the naked neck ones look like the trees in the Lorax. So he likes those ones as well. I also want to be able to hatch my own eggs and their broodieness will come in handy.

@The Cave If Bop is a boy there probably won’t be any crowing. I have them in with a 24 week old EE who is the boss. But I’m hoping for eggs. I have three boys as it is and not enough girls.

My Dandelion has a swept back, sparse, goofy-looking crest. Definitely not a round, poofy crest. Definitely a girl.

Such a goofy looking chicken.

 

[Smileybans]

My Dandelion has a swept back, sparse, goofy-looking crest. Definitely not a round, poofy crest. Definitely a girl.

Such a goofy looking chicken.
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Kinda looks like she has a Mohawk. She’s stylin’. It does make me feel better about my buff ones though. I can’t remember where I had read the thing about their crest and now I can’t find it again.

 

[Smileybans]

Silkies are hard. I've been trying to figure out alternate methods with them, because while there are things you can look for, apparently even those who've bred them for ages get fooled every once and a while. I've been trying to see if there's a way to figure out the sex using growth rate (as cockerels end up heavier than pullets, even if they're the same size at hatch), but my first set of data though promising didn't produce a perfect (or near perfect) method at 5 weeks (which was my goal). I'm going to try extending it out to 9 weeks this year to see if it makes a difference. With that method, I correctly predicted ~70% of the chick's sexes, which is promising, but higher would be better and I need to repeat it multiple times to see if it holds that percentage.

The size of the crest does have something to do with vaulted skulls, however, it also has to do with genes unrelated to the skull. Basically think of it as the interaction of genes causing no crest, some crest, or full crest, whereas having a vaulted skull makes a full crest look extra full so people breeding for show like them. Personally, they freak me out a bit because they make the bird more susceptible to head injury deaths, like from being pecked by other chickens.

Keep us updated on the method you’re using to sex them. That sounds interesting. I would like to know how it turns out.

I had worried about them being pecked by the bigger chickens when they were smaller. But the bantam I have them in with protects them pretty well. Now I’m worried about my big 24 week EE roo trying to mate with them. I’m not sure if he does but he does with the other hens.

 

[Matilda Belle]

Can I ask why? I like being educated on how to tell with Silkies. Comb isn't big? Streamers? Tail high? Thick legs? Not standing upright?

I’m not 100% sure here but it looks male because of the tail and because I think I see streamers.

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

Keep us updated on the method you’re using to sex them. That sounds interesting. I would like to know how it turns out.

I had worried about them being pecked by the bigger chickens when they were smaller. But the bantam I have them in with protects them pretty well. Now I’m worried about my big 24 week EE roo trying to mate with them. I’m not sure if he does but he does with the other hens.

Will do! If my results hold this year (I plan on ordering some Silkies soon), I'll probably be trying to find people willing to try it themselves to see if they can repeat my results. That way we'll know if we're on to something!