Silkie Roo?

[Ksane]

The Silkies I got from Ideal Hatchery are 5 wks old now. About 1/2 have what I'd call obvious combs & are getting wattles. The other 1/2 have no comb development at all. I keep reading you can't tell Silkie gender until over 9 months? Which hardly makes sense to me if combs are any indication.
This is one I think is male, can anyone tell at 5 wks? Can female Silkies get combs this earrly, too? Could this one be female?
I'd love feedback. They're at their awkward age & look pretty funny right now. Keep in mind the other 1/2 of the birds have no comb development at all, it's just flat.

 

[kidcody]

 

[Ksane]

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lol! That's no help :-D

 

[nurse_turtle]

Tricky little buggers. Silkie experts will even tell you how difficult it can be to sex 'em before one of 'em lays a egg.

 

[Ksane]

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So I take it combs mean nothing in Silkie gender then?

 

[Hinotori]

When my hatchery buff silkie was five weeks he had a good sized comb and wattles coming in much like your chick. He had the attitude to go with them as well. I'd asked here as well since I'd read silkies are hard to sex. With the developemment and attitude everyone gave me a cautious cockeral. He first crowed at 9 weeks and has huge unsilkie like wattles and a big comb.

I don't know what his voice would sound like now as a week later my runt silkie crowed an put his feathered foot down on who is dominate.

 

[chickschool]

I just went back an looked at pictures of my silkies at around that age and I'll be darned but you really can't determine the sex based the comb. I got mine from Ideal Chicken (not sure it Ideal Hatchery is the same) but of my 8...6 turned out to be roosters. Super sweet roosters but roos all the same. I'm sorry to say that you're just going to have to wait for them to crow or lay an egg.

 

[Ksane]

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Well I guess I still have a chance of this buff one being a female then. My "Bachelor Pen" will just have to be the biggest pen here if I end up with the ratio of Roos you did lol!
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I'll keep suspecting this one is male until he either lays or crows then. He doesn't throw himself around like a couple of the others, so hopefully he'll be a laid back Roo if that's what he is. He's my favorite.

 

[hcppam]

I have no clue about silkies. I am interested in how this turns out.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

That's a male.