What gender - 4 month old silkies

[kelseyk]

Hello everyone! I am new to silkies and am loving them! I bought them for my kids to take as 4-H projects and show at the fair. We bought 5 and these are the 2 we settled on to show as they are the calmest and meet the 5 toe requirement for showing. I purchased them at our local farm store, so I know they aren't the greatest quality. They are 4 months old. If you could please help me figure out a gender it would be greatly appreciated! Our fair is next week, so have to try and have it figured out by then.

The white one I am leaning toward a cockeral as "he" stands more upright and "his" poof doesn't cover as much of his beak. "He" has no sign of a comb or wattles yet. My son has said he has seen "him" and another one of my silkies (that also stands more upright) fighting. The black one I am leaning toward a pullet as "she" stands a little squattier and "her" poof is huge....so big she cannot really see from under it. "She" sticks to the white one like glue and will hide if "she" loses sight of "him". "She" also shows no sign of a comb or wattles.

If you need more pictures, please let me know and I will go take them and post them.

Thanks a lot for your help! I really appreciate it!

 

[AlleysChicks]

What feed store did these come from!? They are pretty nice! Both look like pullets from what I can see. Cockerels will have a wide comb (you’d have to pull back the crest a bit to really see) and pullets have nonexistent or narrow small combs.

 

[kelseyk]

I got them from Bomgaars in SW Nebraska. These are definitely the nicer 2 of the 5. One of my brown ones is nice too...only has 4 toes though. It looks a lot like the white one.

 

[AlleysChicks]

White is from a breeder, the other is hatchery stock.

 

[MROO]

Wow - those are really nice starter Silkies, especially from a feed store!
I wouldn't worry too much about registering your fluffs properly by gender, though. Most 4H registrars know that, not only are Silkies hard to sex in the beginning (when you have to register waaaaaaay early!) but that the kids are still learning.
Our County Fair lets kids with mis-gendered chickens switch classes on check-in. This year, a couple didn't find out until mid-show. The judge actually handed a "pullet" back to "her" young owner and announced, "Congratulations! It's a BOY!" The young lady took it well. Once we realized she wasn't upset, we all LOST it!

 

[MROO]

Oh - and I agree with @AlleysChicks. Neither one has any serious wattles, yet, so I'm leaning towards "pullet" on both.

 

[AlleysChicks]

Oh - and I agree with @AlleysChicks. Neither one has any serious wattles, yet, so I'm leaning towards "pullet" on both.

being bearded they will have either extremely small wattles or none at all. You can really see them on beardless.

 

[snow5164]

Once you’ve showed them, please trim so she can see.. I think it’s so sad when we don’t groom them so they can be on the defensive if needed. She probably hides because she can’t see where to go ,

My thing#1, and thing#2 love a good grooming, toes, cheeks and a nice hairdo ,

And yes,one of them laid an egg in the run, we have a new rooster and he scares them

 

[kelseyk]

Once you’ve showed them, please trim so she can see.. I think it’s so sad when we don’t groom them so they can be on the defensive if needed. She probably hides because she can’t see where to go ,

My thing#1, and thing#2 love a good grooming, toes, cheeks and a nice hairdo ,

And yes,one of them laid an egg in the run, we have a new rooster and he scares them View attachment 1496665

Yep! I am planning on giving her a trim as soon as we get back from fair as I feel bad for her too.....and I get tired of looking for her when I put the chickens back in the coop for the night (they are free range during the day). It is actually how she got her name - kids named her Magic (or Madge for short) because she "disappears". The white one they named Marshmallow (or Mallow for short).

 

[kelseyk]

White is from a breeder, the other is hatchery stock. View attachment 1496618

One of our brown ones and our dark grey one look like your hatchery stock one - hardly any poof whatsoever on their heads. Both browns only have 4 toes while the grey, black and white all have 5.