So I broke an egg tonight for dinner, and - surprise! It was fertile..

[Hecate]

We have 9 chickens, all of which I thought were pullets (only one is laying right now, two more are on the cusp). Well, a fertile egg can only mean one thing - the silky she is a he! I'm not completely sure on the fertility, since these are the first chickens we've had, but I am starting a hatch this week, so I'm going to put one of the GLW's eggs in the 'bator and I'll see what happens! Wish me luck - could be a neat little chick!

 

[chicklady63]

Good luck! The silkie hybrids can be really great birds. I have some cochin/silkie mixes. Mine are good layers & the "Mercedes" of the broody hens.

 

[digginchicks]

I ddin't think that I sould have any fertile eggs the other day either because I have all of my roosters in pens but I still have some fertile eggs some how. Haha. Its okay with me but I wish that it didn't happen.

 

[PotterWatch]

How did you know it was fertile? Did you see just a white spot, or the bullseye one?

 

[Hecate]

The two most recent eggs both had bullseye spots. The older eggs had a small, almost firm looking (if that's the word I'm looking for) white spot. I took a much more informed look at our silky tonight, and have determined that he is definitely a he!

Thanks to BYC and its members for all the great info. and pictures that have helped me out in this chicken adventure!

 

[Delta2 23]

Wow! That's great. I wish we could get a rooster for chicks, but you can't get one unless you live a certain distance away from the neighbours, but I live in the city, so I can't.

Good luck with your hatching! I love wyandottes.

 

[elusiveracer]

He does not crow?

 

[Hecate]

He is the noisiest of the chickens, but I have never heard what I would call a crow. Some on BYC have said that their silkies crow, but quietly or with a different sound than their other roosters. Others have mentioned that a silky roo without any other roos around may not "say" much.

We certainly weren't planning on having a rooster -- we are right smack in the middle of town. But, we haven't noticed him and neither have our neighbors. And, fortuately for us, there are no regulations against roosters (we're in a rural community - a bonus in many ways!).