Waiting For My Silkie To Lay or Crow- Pullet! We have an egg!

[bobbieschicks]

It is now 28 weeks old. Some days I think - definitely pullet - other days I think definitely roo. But the lack of eggs or crowing is causing me to wonder which she/he might be. Why is the time between birth to sexing so long for Silkies!

My other Silkies either crowed or laid by this time. Maybe it's because it's winter here and the weather has dropped to mid 50Fs in the day and just 28F at night.

Recent pic of Fluffy dust bathing


This one is at 10 weeks old

 

[ChixAddict]

Silkies are just adorable!!

I'm with you on this one being a pullet based on the 2nd pic above. Comb wasn't obvious at 10 wks, no wattles showing yet. Seems the cockerels I have started showing by that time and their combs and wattles were well formed by 12 wks. My one and only laying silkie took about 30 weeks to start laying.

Temps and season could be a factor, as you said. Temps are going up and down here - as low as low 40's and my girl laid a few eggs, then went broody after stealing eggs from a bunch of other hens. Looks like she's going to be a hardcore broody girl.

Hang in there!! Fluffy will get with the program soon.

 

[sumi]

I've no idea how to tell the sex of a Silkie, really I don't. But behaviour-wise I'm leaning towards pullet. I think a roo would've started crowing by now. Most of mine started when they were younger than than 28 weeks, some tried when they were around 3 months old! The weather could be a factor now, with the shorter days slowing down egg production in established layers all over.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Yeah I'm leaning towards pullet too or at least hoping so lol. The other silkie in the third pic was her hatchmate. Both were hatched by my broody Topsy (silkie) who didn't lay them just hatched them for me. That boy started crowing at 8 weeks and has been actively mating as many of my big girls as he can, especially the Orpingtons. He did get on Fluffy a bit ago, but that doesn't necessarily mean she's a pullet as I know a rooster will mount another roo to show dominance. And a couple of times I've caught her in the coop acting like she wanted to get in the nest box. I've even found her in there once but she quickly got back out when she saw me. Maybe it's the weather delaying her start. Hoping she doesn't wait as long as my AC did, she waited until 54 weeks to start laying.

 

[bobbieschicks]

The wait is over!

At 30 weeks old my buff Silkie Fluffy has started laying and has laid 3 eggs so far this week!

At first I thought my older silkie had started laying again (she's been broody and her chicks are now 5 weeks old). But then I caught Fluffy going into and out of the nest box a few days ago. I have found a silky egg on the coop floor on 12/9, 12/11 and 12/12. I saw Fluffy laying today's egg and heard her squaking about it for a long time before she lay it. So - YEAH! Another pullet.

Here's her egg next to two Lavender Orpington's eggs & a quarter.