silkie sexing

[Luvmy9hens]

It doesn't look very boyish, but the fact that there are wattles growing at 8 weeks would make me lean towards cockerel. However, some females do sprout wattles as well, I have 3 silkie pullets that are 4 months old now and I think they all were growing really small ones at about 10 weeks (however they are non-bearded). FYI, all silkies should have the blue earlobes, and at that age they will all have numerous pin feathers as well. Your silkie is bearded.

Ahh, Thank you! My first silkie so I am learning! I was unsure at the age when the blue earlobes appear. I guess time will tell as far as sexing him/her.

 

[Urchin]

I'm assuming this guy's male based on the wattles, but who knows? It's six months old now. I've never heard it crow and the wildlife camera we stuck in the coop shows we only have one silkie laying eggs and this splash is not it. It hangs with the LF hens whom it makes no attempt to mate with, never spars with the other roosters and gets itself mounted by the cochin rooster once in a while. I don't think stance helps much, either. It stands up pretty tall a lot of the time, in fact, it stands up taller than the roosters a lot of the time. But it's rumpless and I wonder if that upright stance is due more to not having a tail to help with balance than anything (if chickens use their tails for balance). Am I right to think this is a roo, even though it's not acting or looking much like one?

 

[suebee]

Urchin, it's a hen.

 

[Ashleymama07]

 

[Sizhasasilke]

Sizhasasilke - your chick is still only 4 weeks old. You need to wait at least another 4 weeks, maybe double that.

ok

 

[Varglet]

By what age do cockerels have a noticeable comb? My two Silkies are 6 months old right now and have slight combs growing in, but they aren't all that significant. I'm fairly certain my bearded is a pullet (pretty sure she laid an egg yesterday morning), but I'm not certain about my non-bearded. I'll try to get pics later, but my sister has both cell phones at the moment, trying to get something figured out with customer service...

I would think that if the other one were a cockerel there would be a decent size comb by now, but I've never had Silkies before these two.

 

[Varglet]

I only managed to get some face pics before my sister stole the cell phone again...

The non-bearded:










And the bearded:

 

[Veer67]

I only managed to get some face pics before my sister stole the cell phone again... The non-bearded: And the bearded:

The first black Silkie is a rooster judging from the size if his wattles and comb. Tue second Silkie is a hen for sure.

 

[Varglet]

That's what I thought, but I wasn't sure if the comb should have been larger by this age if he were a rooster. I call him Jasper anyway.

 

[Zland]

Spurs—do they mean anything on a silkie? I read they can't tell gender but I was wondering if it was like 25/75 or really 50/50.