What sex are my bantam silkys?

[Northwest_Wannabe]

Can only see two here with clear pronounced combs. It's not about comb size as such, more so how prounced and bumpy they are. For instance, I have five hens with smooth but large combs.

Really? I've had plenty of silkie cockerels with smooth combs! I generally go off of shape as well as the development in the crest it can be tough in younger birds but hopefully soon it should be obvious on these guys

 

[Chicalina]

Sorry OP, your thread got derailed a bit there!

I'm stumped as to the sex of yours, so won't hazard a crappy guess. Time will tell (also not helpful).

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Can only see two here with clear pronounced combs. It's not about comb size as such, more so how prounced and bumpy they are. For instance, I have five hens with smooth but large combs.

Walnut comb.. is a combination of pea and rose..

Select for the qualities you like.. smaller is better for Silkies (IMO).. bumps are interesting as long as they aren't sprigs. One of the more challenging comb types to get right and highly variable here in the US. Pick something to breed towards and aim to get them all looking the same.. (sell off the ones that don't meet your goal), this will make them YOUR line and you will KNOW what to expect from them making it easier to tell who is who early on, etc.. that's what makes breeding such a fantastic adventure! Seeing results of generations of excellent selections!

https://poultrykeeper.com/blog/exhibiting-silkies-the-breed-standard/

From Google..

https://www.mypetchicken.com/backya...en-combs-look-so-different-from-one-H285.aspx

 

[MrFluffyandGirls]

If they were older combs would come into play when trying to figure out sex but what I look for is the stance they take when at ease. Roos tend to stand more straight, pullets more horizontal. roos almost look like they are more leggy and hens tend to be more lower to the ground. Roos tails protruded more and hens are more of a pom pom.

 

[Chickenheaven93]

Walnut comb.. is a combination of pea and rose..

Select for the qualities you like.. smaller is better for Silkies (IMO).. bumps are interesting as long as they aren't sprigs. One of the more challenging comb types to get right and highly variable here in the US. Pick something to breed towards and aim to get them all looking the same.. (sell off the ones that don't meet your goal), this will make them YOUR line and you will KNOW what to expect from them making it easier to tell who is who early on, etc.. that's what makes breeding such a fantastic adventure! Seeing results of generations of excellent selections!

https://poultrykeeper.com/blog/exhibiting-silkies-the-breed-standard/

From Google..
View attachment 2310905

https://www.mypetchicken.com/backya...en-combs-look-so-different-from-one-H285.aspx

Cheers , I just breed backyard quality nit for show stardards or anything so I'm all good there. But thanks for the insightful info!

 

[Chickenheaven93]

Really? I've had plenty of silkie cockerels with smooth combs! I generally go off of shape as well as the development in the crest it can be tough in younger birds but hopefully soon it should be obvious on these guys

Never heard of a silky roo with smooth combs so that's a first. Normally they have a mulberry or brain effect

 

[Chickenheaven93]

If they were older combs would come into play when trying to figure out sex but what I look for is the stance they take when at ease. Roos tend to stand more straight, pullets more horizontal. roos almost look like they are more leggy and hens tend to be more lower to the ground. Roos tails protruded more and hens are more of a pom pom.

Unfortunately only one doing the stance appears to have very little comb or tail feathers what age do you recommend is best for sexing? I was told 15 wks in which these are. Should I wait longer?

 

[Chickenheaven93]

Sorry OP, your thread got derailed a bit there!

I'm stumped as to the sex of yours, so won't hazard a crappy guess. Time will tell (also not helpful).

No worrys it's a interesting read regardless

 

[drumstick diva]

England has large fowl Silkies. USA has bantam sized which are very popular here.

The best age for accessing gender is 4-5 mos. of age - silkies like Polish are difficult to sex early. Sometimes you just can't tell till they crow or lay eggs.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Never heard of a silky roo with smooth combs so that's a first. Normally they have a mulberry or brain effect

Mulberry is the color of the comb. It should be dark skin hiding any red making it look Mulberry in color. Bright red combs would not be mulberry colored or desirable for Silkies IF breeding to the standard.

Walnut is the comb shape the makes the brain effect. Pull an actual walnut out if it's shell still in tact and see the cool ripples and folds resembling a brain are. Maybe smoother comb are the outside shell of the walnut!
From google..

Red color.. walnut shape..

Mulberry color.. walnut shape..

Still mulberry color walnut shaped comb but smoother.. less lobes/folds/creases than others but still correct.

Notice the wattle development on ALL of these non bearded boys (from google) and also see how they DO have the longer saddle feathers same as other roosters.

If you love the breed.. even as a back yarder that doesn't aim to show.. still good to keep the best of the best and eat or sell the rest. That's breeding. Otherwise it's really just multiplying and not doing the breed any favors. I mean zero rudeness though, your birds are still lovely! Just an advocate for preservation and improvement where certain traits may have been lost.. Breeding high quality Silkies compared to what everyone else was doing in my area.. meant I could sell them all day long, every day, as fast as I could hatch them for $10-15 EACH straight run chicks. Silkies were ultimately not the breed for ME, despite being a fantastic learning adventure.. and breeding anything simply isn't worth the effort if your don't LOVE them. It is tempting to go back though!

Hopefully the US will come up with a separate size standard eventually. For me, they're called bantam and so I selected for that quality.. but my bantam Ameraucana were half the size of some of the Silkies.. the larger Silkies are more table worthy with regards to effort spent processing.

There is a thread on here with folks breeding towards a Giant Silkie.. using breeds like Brahma, Jersey Giant, Giant Cochin, etc. ultimately they could just introduce the silkie feather gene and create silkied Brahma or others selecting for large size.. On the other hand it's so much fun to see the projects.. and back yard geneticist playing and sharing their creative ideas.. basically how a lot of breeds come into being!

Here in the US there is a mail in service that does DNA testing for gender identification for around $15/bird I think.

Going with females still for your bunch at 15 weeks old!