Silkie thread!

[The Backyard Bantams]

I think you need to just get them and cross your fingers. As hatchlings, you won't be able to tell. Vent sexing can be very damaging, especially on bantams.

I have a small backyard and currently have four bantam cross breed chickens, one is a cockerel and we are not allowed him so he will go back to the farm. That leaves me with three. I can comfortably house about up to 9 bantams, much more temporarily if I needed to. In the spring I want to get 6 to 8 bantam chicks probably 2 each of Dutch bantams, silkies, ameraucaunas and bantam australorps. I am most desperate for Dutch bantams and silkies, they are just so cute. The thing is, I want all of those breeds, but what if I end up not getting some if they are roos or get sick? So if I can I’d like to have a shot at sexing them, but I expect to get some roos that I’ll have to rehome. Perhaps I will try Australorps next year so I can focus more on silkies and Dutch bantams....AWW I JUST WANT ALL THE CHICKENS!!

I have a little coop, one of the small flat packed ones that has a small inner coop and a small run attached. This is where I plan on housing them after they are old enough to go outside and until they are big enough to go on with the older chickens.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Mine were pretty floof free.. which is what had me very worried they were boys! But they were just late blooming pretty girls! Love them so much! I never imagined some chickens would make me so happy

I agree! I love my chickens! Who knew they would be such awesome pets. I really enjoy spending time with them!

 

[LadiesAndJane]

So out of 6 that i picked (mix of silkies and d'uccles), i had a hunch one d'uccle might be a male, and it was, all 5 of the others were female!!! So it is possible! The D'Uccles show a comb very early if they are Males, but i had *2* silkies i wasn't sure of. The one i thought was a male was just a big girl, but she was big as a 2-3 day old chick too, so she was actually proportionately larger through her growing phase. There was one female d'uccle who was just so mean, so i sent her as a pair w the male to the pet store. So all 4 of the others were female!! The DNA testing is delayed because of covid, so i almost feel like youll know by the time you get your tests back at this point! But i used www.iqbirdtesting.com, costs $13 per test, and yes, you pull a few feathers near their vent, so very easy. But man is it still nerve racking after you fall in love! Im so grateful they are all girls!!
Here they are, sun bathing again today
View attachment 2245969View attachment 2245971

Thanks for all your helpful information. I appreciate it!

 

[LynnaePB]

OK lovely people here are my silkies again at 7 1/2 weeks. Posting photos again as was suggested previously! Also because they are so stinking cute!
Can you guess the genders?
I believe this is Zelda, but now it is hard to tell the difference between the two white ones anymore. I suspect she is a female. Also more submissive and stays out of the fray.
View attachment 2245863

This is Asher, who I suspect is a male, he is the friendliest of all of them. Never had a big puff, but seems to be developing streamers
View attachment 2245864

This is Pip, he has always had the rooster vibe. He is a splash satin.
View attachment 2245865

This is Kana, I also suspect she is female. She is the most submissive and keeps to herself for the most part. Also lowest in the pecking order
View attachment 2245866

This is Layla, also a splash, who is developing streamers and doing the chest bump thing with the other suspected boys, so maybe need to change her name to Leo.
View attachment 2245867

This is Jane, who did indeed end up being white (it was debatable for a long time). Thought she was female forever, but now I am in doubt.
View attachment 2245868
Thanks for your input and yes I know it is early, but fun to keep guessing as they change and develop!

Hard to tell, Zelda is looking quite pullet like to me and with that comb I'm definitely leaning towards Asher being a little male. Hopefully in a bit they will make it more obvious though! Beautiful little ones by the way!

 

[TattooedMama]

Thanks! I was also torn between the white and black one. I guess with the 2 that are assorted, one could be a BBS (in addition to the 3 BBS I ordered). They were the last five silkies available from the hatchery I was ordering from, so I took what I could get!

The chick with white down is a splash. You got your 3 BBS; You have two blue, one splash, and the other two are your assorted colors. One is a buff, but I am not 100% on your black one with a brown spot.

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

So out of 6 that i picked (mix of silkies and d'uccles), i had a hunch one d'uccle might be a male, and it was, all 5 of the others were female!!! So it is possible! The D'Uccles show a comb very early if they are Males, but i had *2* silkies i wasn't sure of. The one i thought was a male was just a big girl, but she was big as a 2-3 day old chick too, so she was actually proportionately larger through her growing phase. There was one female d'uccle who was just so mean, so i sent her as a pair w the male to the pet store. So all 4 of the others were female!! The DNA testing is delayed because of covid, so i almost feel like youll know by the time you get your tests back at this point! But i used www.iqbirdtesting.com, costs $13 per test, and yes, you pull a few feathers near their vent, so very easy. But man is it still nerve racking after you fall in love! Im so grateful they are all girls!!
Here they are, sun bathing again today
View attachment 2245969View attachment 2245971

Oh my gosh..how cute and adorable is that!

 

[Hunnied]

The chick with white down is a splash. You got your 3 BBS; You have two blue, one splash, and the other two are your assorted colors. One is a buff, but I am not 100% on your black one with a brown spot.

But can those 60 live in a house??

The only colors the hatchery offers are white, black, buff, and BBS, so the assortment can only be out of those options. I’m guessing, then, that the black is a black. I’ve one older black silkie from the same hatchery (started with two, but one of those died in its first week), and my one black one is the only silkie I’ve ever owned until these 5. Is it common for black silkies to have a brown spot like my baby one has? I’ll google that, as well, but thought I’d ask here first.

 

[AngBantamLuv]

The only colors the hatchery offers are white, black, buff, and BBS, so the assortment can only be out of those options. I’m guessing, then, that the black is a black. I’ve one older black silkie from the same hatchery (started with two, but one of those died in its first week), and my one black one is the only silkie I’ve ever owned until these 5. Is it common for black silkies to have a brown spot like my baby one has? I’ll google that, as well, but thought I’d ask here first.

You won't get 100% bbs... some will end up blue, some black, and some splash.. but they will all carry recessive genes for the other colors.

 

[LynnaePB]

The only colors the hatchery offers are white, black, buff, and BBS, so the assortment can only be out of those options. I’m guessing, then, that the black is a black. I’ve one older black silkie from the same hatchery (started with two, but one of those died in its first week), and my one black one is the only silkie I’ve ever owned until these 5. Is it common for black silkies to have a brown spot like my baby one has? I’ll google that, as well, but thought I’d ask here first.

I'm not sure about the brown spot but I've seen black from paint babies occasionally have a white or yellow spot or spots. When I had a little one hatch with a white spot on its cheek I asked about it and was told sometimes that happens but they'll likely feather in all black (which mine did). It'll be interesting to see if your little one feathers in all black as well despite the spot.

 

[LynnaePB]

You won't get 100% bbs... some will end up blue, some black, and some splash.. but they will all carry recessive genes for the other colors.

You are absolutely correct in that ordering from a BBS pen can give you blue, black, or splash. BBS actually stands for blue black splash. However there shouldn't be recessive genes for other colors in a BBS pen. Blue is a dominant dilution gene. One copy on a black base gives you blue, two copies give you splash, it breeds pretty predictably luckily.