Silkies

[aoxa]

Interesting as, I heard a similar story but to the opposite end...

A top silkie breeder won best roo in show with a silkie of his...a couple weeks later, SHE layed an egg.

So, even the best of us can be fooled!  I have had some males that had me guessing until they crowed.  No streamers, no hard feathers in their tails, no combs and absolutely beautiful round crests.  I was heartbroken when they crowed

If they crowed and had a round crest, they must have been really good quality, and if they didn't have streamers, they were very young. The hard feathers in the tail thing, that is something that shouldn't be in either sex.

Tail: Male - short, very shredded at ends, well spread at base, filled underneath with an abundance of soft feathers which are overlapped by coverts and lesser sickles, the whole forming a duplex curve with back and saddle. Sickles, lesser sickles, and coverts - abundant, soft, well curved, without hard quills, concealing main tail feathers.

http://www.americansilkiebantamclub.org/standard.asp

But for the most part we are not talking about high quality show birds. How many really possess these on here anyway? Like he said, good quality boys are harder to sex. Now some boys crow early, but by six months or more (when a silkie hen is most likely to start laying) a rooster would be VERY easy to spot. Their hackles and saddle feathers would be in, as well as their streamers.

 

[CibolaChooks]

We sound like birds of a feather on this one! I actually bought a pretty little bantam Cochin pullet for very similar reasons. Read in their reviews that one ladies banty Cochins all went broody before they even laid an egg! So I figured between a banty Cochin, a banty Brahma and a Silkie I should be set on broodies! Then I can figure out who does best and use that to make my future broody selections.

Please let me know what you come up with as far as what becomes your fav broody... I am going to buy a incubator/hatcher for next year but i still want to have as many of the natural mothers as i can get hatching eggs no matter what.

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

No problem. I will probably be posting like crazy when they start too.

 

[leadwolf1]

Aoxa...sorry, I chose the wrong words in trying to explain the difference in the feathers you see in the tail of roos vs hens. I wasn't trying to be comfrontational, I was just relaying a funny story that I heard and that we all can make mistakes.

Here is a pic of me with the 4 that kept me guessing...they were beautiful. They crowed before streamers ...this pic is after streamers and growth of combs...their crests were amazing.

 

[aoxa]

Aoxa...sorry, I chose the wrong words in trying to explain the difference in the feathers you see in the tail of roos vs hens. I wasn't trying to be comfrontational, I was just relaying a funny story that I heard and that we all can make mistakes. Here is a pic of me with the 4 that kept me guessing...they were beautiful. They crowed before streamers ...this pic is after streamers and growth of combs...their crests were amazing.

You can tell silkies by combs as well. Once you peel back the crests, boys will have a much bigger comb earlier. My 13 week old boy does not show any comb unless you move the fluff back, and then you can see he is indeed a boy! Wasn't trying to be confrontational either. There are definitely SOME that are hard to sex, but for the most part they aren't all that difficult by 3 months old.

This boy of mine is even developing little streamers at 13 weeks! He is 11 weeks in this picture!

This one I am certain is a girl. You can't get a more feminine personality.

Silkie mock fight with a chick 3 weeks younger My girls do not do this. They can't see well enough to. Here they are at 8 weeks. I was pretty certain at that age I had a hen and a rooster. I found a nice home for the little boy, as he has a foot deformity.

Girl

Boy.

 

[leadwolf1]

I have had great luck also with sexing using comb size, etc...but, these guys remained a mystery...they didn't even have combs if you peeled back their crests! And, their personalities were to die for...not at all roo-like.

Out of 8 chicks, I had all 8 roos....what kind of luck is that????

Marek's took 3 of the 4 in the pic...It was devastating. I thought they were safe as they were over 8 months old

 

[aoxa]

I have had great luck also with sexing using comb size, etc...but, these guys remained a mystery...they didn't even have combs if you peeled back their crests!  And, their personalities were to die for...not at all roo-like. 

Out of 8 chicks, I had all 8 roos....what kind of luck is that????

Marek's took 3 of the 4 in the pic...It was devastating.  I thought they were safe as they were over 8 months old

How many did you lose total? That is so awful. What was it that started it all?

 

[leadwolf1]

At this point, I have lost 40+ to Marek's. It is devastating. I did everything I was told and purchased vaccinated chicks...kept them isolated. Still losing them. Necropsies all come back, Marek's.

I have it traced back to where I think I know where it came from but, since no one will accept responsibility, I will never know the truth.

I was giving freedom to purchase the chicks I wanted and a beautiful home built coop by my DH and kids for Mother's Day last year. I had been waiting for 30 years to have more chickens. I did my research and found reputible breeders. One of those chicks that I brought home came bearing another gift, Marek's. My wonderful gift turned into a nightmare. I love my chickens..they are all named and are lovingly raised in my kitchen. I can name all that I have lost....

Right now, I have a black cochin that was in remission and is now battling the disease again and, a 13 week old Mottled Java that is fighting, also.

I can't tell you how many tears I have shed...

 

[aoxa]

At this point, I have lost 40+ to Marek's.  It is devastating.  I did everything I was told and purchased vaccinated chicks...kept them isolated.  Still losing them.  Necropsies all come back, Marek's.

I have it traced back to where I think I know where it came from but, since no one will accept responsibility, I will never know the truth.

I was giving freedom to purchase the chicks I wanted and a beautiful home built coop by my DH and kids for Mother's Day last year.  I had been waiting for 30 years to have more chickens.  I did my research and found reputible breeders.  One of those chicks that I brought home came bearing another gift, Marek's.  My wonderful gift turned into a nightmare.  I love my chickens..they are all named and are lovingly raised in my kitchen.  I can name all that I have lost....

Right now, I have a black cochin that was in remission and is now battling the disease again and, a 13 week old Mottled Java that is fighting, also.

I can't tell you how many tears I have shed...

I am so sorry That is completely devastating... I can't even imagine. How do you keep the ones that don't have it from getting it?

 

[leadwolf1]

In a nutshell? You don't. I have tried isolation, disinfecting until my hands bled, everything and anything...nothing stops it. I've been told that I have an extremely viral type of Marek's. How nice to be chosen for that honor

The only ones that I have had success with are ones that I hatched from my own eggs then vaccinated. They seem to hatch with immunity..much better than the vaccine can give. Out of 17, I only lost 1. The pullets that I bought in Spring...one batch I've lost 5 out of 9 and the second batch...at 12 weeks, one is already sick and I'm sure more will be. Now, I've got POL pullets and I'm keeping a close eye on the blue Andalusian...she just doesn't look right to me. If she succumbs, that will be 6 out of 9 vaccinated pullets. These pullets were isolated for 12 weeks...

Some days, I can barely go on..the only thing that keeps my going is the knowledge that I would have to euthanize them all if I chose to quit. I can't do that to them...