Silkies fighting! Help!

[Chickedychick98]

Hello everyone!
I am new here and in desperate need of some help . I have four chickens that make up my backyard flock. 2 Brown hens (which I raised from 3 weeks) and 2 silkies (which I’ve raised since they were 1 week old.) When I bought the silkies I contacted the seller and reserved two hens. Although when I arrived I was told there were no guarantees and I was told just to choose two and basically hope they were hens! I was shocked as I was told two hens were reserved for me ! But anyway here I am now, the silkies are 15 weeks old now and my brown hens are only one week from POL. Anyway my issue is the silkies will not stop fighting each other lately! But then make up and end up sitting cosied up together grooming themselves after they’ve had a right go at each other! They keep flaring their feathers into a collar and then have a peck-off/ stand off against one another! Can anybody help me to identify if this could suggest If I have Roos or hens? I truly don’t have a clue! There are no obvious tell-tell signs with my silkies even though I’ve done plenty of research. This is probably not enough info but any suggestions are welcome

 

[Ridgerunner]

That's a rotten way to treat you but it's extremely hard to sex silkie chicks that age. Most hatcheries with trained professions won't try, it's that hard with any bantams. They should have been more honest with you before you went over.

Can you post photos. Silkies are often challenging so a few shots can help. One close-up of the head showing the comb and wattles. Another one showing the legs and general posture. And how old are they? That might help. I'm no Silkie expert and probably can't help you, but hopefully someone on here can.

And welcome to the forum, glad you joined.

 

[Wolfefarmyard]

It’s sounding like you may have 2 boys, but adding some pictures may help us identify.

 

[Fur-N-Fowl]

As others suggested, post some photos of your Silkies and we can have a look for you

It is sounding like you have two cockerels there.

It's very rare I see people selling sexed Silkies at 1 week old, they're just so hard to sex. Vent sexing can be done but many people still get that wrong because they don't know how to do it correctly.

They should have advertised them as unsexed chicks. Even when I have a 99% suspicion that a Silkie chick is a female, I always ensure buyers that they understand I'm in no way guaranteeing it's a female. I always make it clear from the start.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I can probably help, pictures will help greatly.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! As everyone said, pictures, and maybe more time to really know their sexes.
Pullets will spar too, especially if they are crowded. Post pictures and dimensions of your coop set-up also.
If there are no actual injuries, things aren't yet out of hand.
Mary

 

[chickens really]

I'm thinking Cockerels if she thinks they are close to laying eggs..

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm thinking Cockerels if she thinks they are close to laying eggs..

I don't know what three weeks from POL means. That would be useful information. Is it age or physical appearance?

I've seen pullets flare neck feathers and fight, but most of the time when I see that behavior at least one of them is male. You don't get guarantees with behaviors, especially during adolescence. You can see about anything but my gut feel is that at least one is male.

 

[Chickedychick98]

Hello everyone!


Firstly, thank you all so much for your responses I wasn’t expecting so many, so quick! So thank you!


I will post some pictures below.


My coop is the Omlet eglu cube with the 3M run. Within their coop they do have a sand bath and chicken perch. I’ve taken the sand bath out currently however to give them a bit of extra space and so I can give it a good clean. The silkies are now 15 weeks old. Brown hens are 17 weeks. I appreciate that silkies are very hard to sex which I didn’t realise before purchasing, which was my own fault. This is my first ever flock so everything’s new to me. I just wish the seller would have been more honest before letting me travel over an hour there to pick them up!


Both chooks thankfully seem fine and I can’t see any injuries although the white silkie has a very red sore comb from fighting . I’ve been advised to put Sudocrem on her/his comb so I have been (hence why it looks slightly white). I’ve also been putting anti- peck on both chicks but obviously if they want to fight they still will. The fighting isn’t constant, most of the time I look out and they’re all very happy! Purely from observing them it seems to be the white silkie initiating the fights?

All photos have been taken today except from the last one which is of my flock all together. Hopefully they help? I can take different ones if they don’t. I can also talk more about their personality’s? The photo of the coop below is the exact size/model/colour as mine but the one in the photo is not mine.

Thank you all again.

 

[chickens really]

The whites appear to be Cockerel...