so excited!! =D

[showjumper_girl2002]

just ordered my first pair of black silkie chicks!!

hatch date is sep 9 and will be shipped that day! I can't wait!! I currently have 3 mixed hens and one roo that are 3 months old that I hatched myself. they are all sweethearts. I can't wait to add on two silkie pullets to my fuzzy butt gang

I've always wanted a silkie and i'm so excited to finally be getting some. I know they need to be around equal size as my other chickens before introducing them, but since silkie's are a smallish breed should I be worried about housing them with the rest of my chickens? i'm really hoping they will get along but the 4 chickens I have now are my first so I wasn't sure how mixing in different breeds works.

 

[ozu]

Congratulations! I felt the same way when I finally got my babies! Hope you have better luck than me, I ended up with at least two out of three roosters!

 

[showjumper_girl2002]

Well the place I ordered from sexes the chicks the day they hatch and guarantee if you don't get the sex you ordered they will send another. My pet chicken was the only place I found that sexes silkie chicks, every one else only offered straight runs. so if all goes as it should i will have 2 little one to two day old pullets joining my flock around sep 10-11

 

[ozu]

From what I hear, silkies are impossible to vent sex because they are bantams- they're way too small and proper vent sexing hurts them I guess? I have heard of people getting the wrong sex of silkies from MyPetChicken, so it's possible, but I'm crossing my fingers for you to have proper pullets!- that's good that they will send another if they get the sex wrong! Most people DO seem to get the proper sex from MPC though.

The farm I got my first three silkies from will take the roosters back if you didn't want any but got some, but I'm not sure if they do it with Silkies because they breed on demand... I'm too attached to all of mine anyway LOL.

Be sure to post lots of pics of them growing up!

These are my babies by the way:

Albedo (white cockerel)


Willow (splash cockerel)


Gracey (unknown blue/black) S/he has attributes from both the sexes... huh.


Sunflower (partridge pullet)

 

[ChirpyChicks1]

lol How does your last one see anything! Very adorable

Best of luck with your silkies, I hope you get the pullets you want

 

[showjumper_girl2002]

From what I hear, silkies are impossible to vent sex because they are bantams- they're way too small and proper vent sexing hurts them I guess? I have heard of people getting the wrong sex of silkies from MyPetChicken, so it's possible, but I'm crossing my fingers for you to have proper pullets!- that's good that they will send another if they get the sex wrong! Most people DO seem to get the proper sex from MPC though. The farm I got my first three silkies from will take the roosters back if you didn't want any but got some, but I'm not sure if they do it with Silkies because they breed on demand... I'm too attached to all of mine anyway LOL. Be sure to post lots of pics of them growing up! These are my babies by the way: Albedo (white cockerel) Willow (splash cockerel) Gracey (unknown blue/black) S/he has attributes from both the sexes... huh. Sunflower (partridge pullet)

Oh I'll definitely be posting pics! I'm counting down the days till they arrive! yours are all so cute!! I especially love the last one! Seeing yours makes me that much more excited Lol I'm definitely glad they guarantee the correct sex just in case. My thing is I'm not sure if I'll be able to tell if their pullets or not by 18 weeks. They all look so much alike! :/ lol I hope one looks as fluffy as your last pic, she's adorable!!

 

[ozu]

​

Oh I'll definitely be posting pics! I'm counting down the days till they arrive!

yours are all so cute!! I especially love the last one! Seeing yours makes me that much more excited Lol I'm definitely glad they guarantee the correct sex just in case. My thing is I'm not sure if I'll be able to tell if their pullets or not by 18 weeks. They all look so much alike!

lol I hope one looks as fluffy as your last pic, she's adorable!!

Good!! I'm eager to see them I was the same- but I got to go to the farm and pick them out- I usually have better luck when someone else picks them out for me LOL! But yeah, we got all my other chickens and then I realized I could get silkies and I had to wait over a month for them to hatch and such! The closer it gets, the more exciting it will be! They are SOOO tiny I was so amazed when we brought them home! My babies say thank you

Sunflower seems to be a big hit- she's the only one I got from a different place than the other silkies. I saw her on a breeder's page and got first pick (because I contacted about her first)- lots of other people wanted her too! She cost me a fortune compared to the others- more than the three combined But she was worth it, she's so docile and friendly, and she's actually show-quality I think. But I have no intentions on showing her sadly. She's just my baby <3

But yeah, sexing silkies is so difficult sometimes! I will try my best to help you if you'd like once you get yours Some are easier to sex when young.. others not as much. It all depends!

Around 5 weeks was when I started suspecting Albedo was a boy.. his name used to be Lily LOL.

(Now that I look back at it, it's really obvious he was a boy.. lol.)

Look at that comb and those waddles! He started crowing at 8 weeks. Not all of them crow that young but it seems to be quite popular with silkies.


The fluffier they are though, the harder they are to sex. A lot of times on boys, you'll see streamers- Albedos were obvious sooner than Willow's.


But with Sunflower, who is only 11 weeks old, she holds her body a lot lower, her comb is nonexistent and her crest is very round and full how a pullet's should be.



And see, Gracey's comb is pretty non-existent too, especially for the tiny crest she has.


Smaller crest, bigger comb usually. No beard, bigger waddles. Willow has a beard but he still has some waddles. Girls don't usually develop any at all.

I hope you get a fluffy like Sunflower too! I was SOOO excited to get a fluffy one, since Gracey and Albedo are not that fluffy. :>

Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack your thread! Just thought I'd prepare you a bit for sexing ​

 

[showjumper_girl2002]

Thanks a lot! I appreciate all your help! I'll definitely be posting pics and asking for opinions on sex I'm sure lol.

 

[showjumper_girl2002]

they're here!!!!

just picked up my 2, 1 day old black silkie chicks and they're so tiny and adorable! they both love to be cuddled

here are some pics of my new fuzzy butts

so in love! more pics soon to come i'm sure

 

[ozu]

oh yay! they're so cute! congratulations!
you're lucky- mine were so skittish in the beginning!