silkie sexing

[Barleycorn]

Black Silky chicks at two weeks old. Far too early to sex. They will be 3 weeks old on Monday. The chick on the left is Kestra and seems to be the dominant chick. The chick on the right is Guinan and tends to be more reserved.

 

[Faraday40]

My silkies are very much in that awkward stage
I have no idea why their sizes are so different. Hatched March 30 & 31st, so 2 months old now.

The runt
Still has a flat comb. Definitely a slower growth rate. I 1st thought size difference was due to age, then thought maybe a 'failure to thrive' chick (but it lived), then maybe gender difference, but now I just don't know. It's possible the runt had health issues that caused a developmental delay of some sort. It looks so much younger. Not sure on gender, but no male-ness yet as far as I can tell.

The bigger one.
Comb is also flat - and narrow
I'm thinking this one is female.

.... and together. Hard to believe they're the same age!

 

[kurby22]

My silkies are very much in that awkward stage
I have no idea why their sizes are so different. Hatched March 30 & 31st, so 2 months old now.

The runt
Still has a flat comb. Definitely a slower growth rate. I 1st thought size difference was due to age, then thought maybe a 'failure to thrive' chick (but it lived), then maybe gender difference, but now I just don't know. It's possible the runt had health issues that caused a developmental delay of some sort. It looks so much younger. Not sure on gender, but no male-ness yet as far as I can tell.

View attachment 2696353

The bigger one.
Comb is also flat - and narrow
I'm thinking this one is female.

.... and together. Hard to believe they're the same age!

I have two silkies from the same hatch that are just like this! My white Silkie is like your black one and my partridge Silkie is really small! Mine are about 10 weeks. I am not a Silkie expert by any means, but I think your partridge is a hen and the black Silkie seems like a suspected cockerel, but still so young

 

[Faraday40]

Two weeks later:

Any gender predictions?
black silkies, both 10+ weeks old. One is still small. I believe it had a developmental delay.

Bigger one
I've pretty much guessed female all along because it has a narrow comb.... but is more outgoing. Sometimes stands upright, sometimes not. Crest is developing. Are those streamers???? or just feathers coming in?

smaller runt silkie
feathering in slower. Comb slightly wider, but not fat like my past males. (My male silkies have always had combs wider than their beaks. ) This one is more skittish & hides under the bigger one. Crest is still cone shaped

very close up

 

[kurby22]

Two weeks later:

Any gender predictions?
black silkies, both 10+ weeks old. One is still small. I believe it had a developmental delay.

Bigger one
I've pretty much guessed female all along because it has a narrow comb.... but is more outgoing. Sometimes stands upright, sometimes not. Crest is developing. Are those streamers???? or just feathers coming in?

smaller runt silkie
feathering in slower. Comb slightly wider, but not fat like my past males. (My male silkies have always had combs wider than their beaks. ) This one is more skittish & hides under the bigger one. Crest is still cone shaped

very close up

Hmmm, I’d say your bigger one is a hen, but the runt is still a question mark! A little more comb expression on it, but being little it may be quite behind! They’re so tough! Mine are about 12 weeks and I’m reasonably sure they’re hens but no real clue yet

 

[MCrickett]

I have 3 silkies and I suspect my Silver to be a roo and only because the feet feathers are so much further along then the two blondies. I will post pics later but they are only 3 weeks along

 

[MCrickett]

So here are my pics of my silver one next to the blondies

 

[Faraday40]

Here's an update on my two black silkies (Hatched March 30-April1)
Leaning toward small one = pullet. Some friends think 2 pullets, but I'm not convinced on the big one yet. It seems to have some traits of both genders.

Big one:
(narrow walnut comb, doesn't stand tall, doesn't chest bump, very friendly, loves to cuddle, sometimes crest looks round.... other times I fear I see streamers) Did I mention it's bigger!?

Small one/ Runt:
(had very slow growth and feather development, possible development delay, finally getting a crest, slightly timid)

Some pics to compare side by side

Big is actually sitting, & Small is standing

Big one has some shiny tail feathers.

 

[kurby22]

Here's an update on my two black silkies (Hatched March 30-April1)
Leaning toward small one = pullet. Some friends think 2 pullets, but I'm not convinced on the big one yet. It seems to have some traits of both genders.

Big one:
(narrow walnut comb, doesn't stand tall, doesn't chest bump, very friendly, loves to cuddle, sometimes crest looks round.... other times I fear I see streamers) Did I mention it's bigger!?

Small one/ Runt:
(had very slow growth and feather development, possible development delay, finally getting a crest, slightly timid)

Some pics to compare side by side

Big is actually sitting, & Small is standing

Big one has some shiny tail feathers.
View attachment 2735348

So far to me, they look like pullets!

 

[Bowhunter7681]

if you have silkie chicks that need to be sexed place pics here. chicks need to be at least 4 weeks old. pics need to be from the sides of the head and full body, front veiw of the head, and any other pics you want to provide please. here are some tips i found online about sexing silkie chicks as well


Look at the feathers on the chick's head. Males tend to have feathers that stand upright and curve towards the back, while the female head feathers tend to form in a rounded feather puff.

Look at the comb when it develops within two to three weeks of the chick's birth. a male will have a larger comb than a female.

Males are significantly larger than females, and this can be obvious a few days after hatching. This isn't considered a certain method of sexing though because you may just have a large female or a small male. It's also a poor method if you are trying to compare chicks from two different genetic lines.

Listen for crowing. The chicks will start losing the fluffly baby feathers around four of five months. At that time a male silkie will start attempting to crow.

Look at the saddle feathers just before the tail and the hackle feathers on the neck. These feathers will be long and sharp on a male and gently rounded on a female.