silkie sexing

[WinterLadyAK]

Well, we now know the sexes of our silkies so I thought I'd post a follow-up. Four cockerels and two hens in total. Here are the sexes of the ones in the photos:

1. hen
2,3. cockerels
4. hen

My other two buff silkies who I didn't post photos of both seem to be cockerels. One of them looked exactly like #4 until very recently, but has started getting some pretty definite streamers in. The buff ones matured much much slower than the white silkies. The white silkies #2 and #2 were crowing and had really really long streamers by the time they had to meet their end, they were trying to interrupt the mating of our alpha rooster and just causing trouble so they had to go

and were dinner last weekend.

Great thread!

I have six silkies, all are 11 weeks old. One has been crowing for a little over a week (no photo of him here), and I have my guesses about several others. I actually think they're almost all roos. One white and one buff I'm really hoping are pullets

what do you think?

1.


She's a little dirty, but this was the best shot I could get of her comb.




Then the ones I suspect are roos due to their streamers:

2.

And my second one with what I think are the roo streamers:
3.


And my favorite buff:
4.




Thanks!

 

[Momma 2 silkies]

I just got my first blue partridge and was wondering if anyone had any guesses as to boy or girl going off on the pictures I have of it. I am hoping for a pullet, very pretty chick in my opinion.

I was told it is 3 1/2 moths old but it is smaller than my 12 week olds and has little to no comb and no wattles that I can see. It did come from a lady that shows her chickens, hoping for a very nice looking pullet when it grows up.

 

[silkiemelon]

I just got my first blue partridge and was wondering if anyone had any guesses as to boy or girl going off on the pictures I have of it. I am hoping for a pullet, very pretty chick in my opinion.

I was told it is 3 1/2 moths old but it is smaller than my 12 week olds and has little to no comb and no wattles that I can see. It did come from a lady that shows her chickens, hoping for a very nice looking pullet when it grows up.

You can't tell from those pics because he/she is facing away. You need a pic of him/her facing the camera and a comb shot if you can.

I don't know about age, but sometimes depending on the quality some silkies are slower to maturing.

 

[Momma 2 silkies]

I thought you could sex partridge by their colors unlike other colored silkies.

Here is a front shot of it, but there isn't a comb or wattles that I can see.

 

[Member 151789]

i have four 5-week olds that we bought from a feed store in a silkie color assortment. i think the smallest white one and the partridge ones are girls, but my family thinks they are all roos

chick #1




chick #2




#3




#4





thank you guys so much! hope we got at least one hen

anyone got a guess? im kinda sweating here lol

 

[Momma 2 silkies]

Have their combs started to come in yet, that is the best way to know if they are boys or not, even then it might still be a either sex. I have some and am learning as I go also. I have 1 out of my 6 that I am still waiting to find out about.

 

[babffel]

So I have my gueses what they are but im not sure....they dont like to be still for the camera. There 5-6 months old. Theres three white and one black silkie.

 

[silkiemelon]

i have four 5-week olds that we bought from a feed store in a silkie color assortment. i think the smallest white one and the partridge ones are girls, but my family thinks they are all roos

chick #1




chick #2




#3




#4





thank you guys so much! hope we got at least one hen

They're very young! I could give you a guess but there is only a 50% chance I'll be right!
You usually have to wait until silkies are at least 8 weeks old to get a solid guess.

A couple of yours have wide combs which could signify roo, but they are so young I could very well be wrong!
Sorry, I wish I could be of more help. I suggest you give it more time.

 

[MelanieR]

Not sure where to post this so I thought I'd tack it on the end of this very wonderful silkie thread.

I just adopted 2 3 month old silkies. The original owner told me that there was a male and a female. Based on their antics alone, I'd say she's probably right, but when I asked her how she was able to tell her answer was completely new to me.

She told me that if you pull out the male's wing and look at the end of the wing bone there will be an extra "piece" that sticks out. It's got feathers on it and looks comparable to a thumb or extra tiny stiff bunch of feathers. She showed me the pullet and it does not have that. I thought it was interesting to say the least and after I brought the cute guy and gal home I sat down to investigate. But I can't find this information anywhere! Has anyone ever heard of this?

 

[Tricoglossus]

I have my suspicions with the gender of these chicks but I would like some expert opinion please! They are approximately 8 weeks old. From left to right they are Snowy, Tiny and Peanut:




More of Snowy:





Snowy with Tiny:





Tiny was so small and didn't put on any weight for the first week or so that we had him/her. He/she is still the smallest, is the palest in colour of my 4 partridge chicks, and he/she has always made a lot of noise about EVERYTHING, and is always the one that wants to be in the middle of the chick group huddle (I have 7 chicks in total) trying to get underneath everyone else! Here are some more pictures of Tiny:








Peanut:






Peanut on left, Tiny on the right:


Tiny on the left, Peanut on the right:



Thanks for your help!