*Silkie Question* any advice appreciated!

[kaitlyn_rae2003]

I am going to have to reduce my flock of silkie chicks slightly. Will be going from 9 to 6. I love em, but I want their quality of life to be really good, and I feel i wont have space for all nine, as they grow up. Anyway, 4 of them are nearly identical, black/blue, i will post pics as soon as I get my little human chicks down for a nap! My question is: are there any signs of a chick being either a roo or pullet at the age of 4 weeks? The father was a white silkie, mother was partridge. So would female babies be destined to be one coloring, and males another? or is it totally random? my partridge chicks, are poofier and slightly larger then my black/greys. is that indicative? or is it just too early? Thanks a bunch! any hints, ideas, or advice is welcomed, I am just afraid that ill pick the 3 pullets to sell! Thanks in advance!
kaitlyn

 

[High Roost Ranch]

Not really by what you describe as the colors of the 4 at least. You'll likely have to wait for a couple months before it becomes obvious who are pullets and who are cockerels. But photos are always best, maybe someone here is very good at sexing younger silkies.

 

[crash0330]

Quote:
Its really hard to tell the sex on silkies, but one thing to check on Im not sure if its the same with silkies but the size of their combs, I have 8 7 week old silkies and 4 have small to no comb at all and the other 4 are quite big, so Im guessing 4 females and 4 males. And about the colors, if your parent silkies were ever crossed, then the chicks will come out in all different colors, the parents of my 8 silkie chicks sre the dad blue and the mom is blackish partrige, and i have 2 black chicks, 3 blue chicks, 1 splah, 1 that looks like its barred, and 1 that looks lavander, and no partriges even tho the mom is a partrige!!!!