silkie sexing

[Silikiemamma23]

if you have silkie chicks that need to be sexed place pics here. chicks need to be at least 4 weeks old. pics need to be from the sides of the head and full body, front veiw of the head, and any other pics you want to provide please. here are some tips i found online about sexing silkie chicks as well


Look at the feathers on the chick's head. Males tend to have feathers that stand upright and curve towards the back, while the female head feathers tend to form in a rounded feather puff.

Look at the comb when it develops within two to three weeks of the chick's birth. a male will have a larger comb than a female.

Males are significantly larger than females, and this can be obvious a few days after hatching. This isn't considered a certain method of sexing though because you may just have a large female or a small male. It's also a poor method if you are trying to compare chicks from two different genetic lines.

Listen for crowing. The chicks will start losing the fluffly baby feathers around four of five months. At that time a male silkie will start attempting to crow.

Look at the saddle feathers just before the tail and the hackle feathers on the neck. These feathers will be long and sharp on a male and gently rounded on a female.

5 weeks all same chick

 

[AMaxlow]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I'll give it a shot.
I'm a little stumped about the sex of my satin. I am a total newbie to the breed. The breeder guessed pullet, so that's what I've been going with. I don't remember how old she said she was, so I will include a "baby picture" with one of my other pullets, who was about 5 weeks at the time (mid November). I'm hoping someone can give me an estimate of her age and confirm if she is a she.
I'm sure she's older than my other pullets, who are about 16 weeks now. That's a standard sized buff orpington in the pics for comparison. She's definitely getting some color in her comb, but I don't know if it's because she is actually a he or if she's getting close to laying.

 

[Slothinc]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I'll give it a shot.
I'm a little stumped about the sex of my satin. I am a total newbie to the breed. The breeder guessed pullet, so that's what I've been going with. I don't remember how old she said she was, so I will include a "baby picture" with one of my other pullets, who was about 5 weeks at the time (mid November). I'm hoping someone can give me an estimate of her age and confirm if she is a she.
I'm sure she's older than my other pullets, who are about 16 weeks now. That's a standard sized buff orpington in the pics for comparison. She's definitely getting some color in her comb, but I don't know if it's because she is actually a he or if she's getting close to laying.

Your satin looks to me like perhaps a silkie cross. No crest and doesn’t quite look like a pure silkie. Very cute though. I would have to lean towards male at this point because of the saddle and tail feathers, they are so long and drooping. But maybe this is because it is crossed with a longer tail breed? The comb looks pretty wide and red, but you’re right, it may be an older girl getting ready to lay. Sorry I am not much help. Maybe someone else will have a more sure answer!

 

[AMaxlow]

Your satin looks to me like perhaps a silkie cross. No crest and doesn’t quite look like a pure silkie. Very cute though. I would have to lean towards male at this point because of the saddle and tail feathers, they are so long and drooping. But maybe this is because it is crossed with a longer tail breed? The comb looks pretty wide and red, but you’re right, it may be an older girl getting ready to lay. Sorry I am not much help. Maybe someone else will have a more sure a

Your satin looks to me like perhaps a silkie cross. No crest and doesn’t quite look like a pure silkie. Very cute though. I would have to lean towards male at this point because of the saddle and tail feathers, they are so long and drooping. But maybe this is because it is crossed with a longer tail breed? The comb looks pretty wide and red, but you’re right, it may be an older girl getting ready to lay. Sorry I am not much help. Maybe someone else will have a more sure answer!

The breeder said they were silkie and bantam cochin mix. I thought that resulted in a satin. Like I said, I'm not familiar with the breed. I normally do more research before buying any chicks, but I haven't been able to find much info about satins. This was kind of an impulse buy - so cute, I couldn't resist!

 

[Slothinc]

The breeder said they were silkie and bantam cochin mix. I thought that resulted in a satin. Like I said, I'm not familiar with the breed. I normally do more research before buying any chicks, but I haven't been able to find much info about satins. This was kind of an impulse buy - so cute, I couldn't resist!

I do think that most satin silkies were created using Cochins to get the satin gene in the line but a lot of times it was far enough back that they look just like purebred silkies except for having the satin feathers. Since yours is a first generation cross, that makes sense!

I haven’t ever had Cochins but I don’t believe that the hens have long drooping tails so I would still lean towards this one being a male. The comb is smaller than a mature silkie roo, also a little small for what I would expect to see on a 4 month old male (guessing based on the timing you gave) but he could be late blooming. Hopefully someone else who knows their stuff will be able to help. Maybe @2ndTink or @Debbie292d can give a more definitive answer!!

 

[AMaxlow]

I do think that most satin silkies were created using Cochins to get the satin gene in the line but a lot of times it was far enough back that they look just like purebred silkies except for having the satin feathers. Since yours is a first generation cross, that makes sense!

I haven’t ever had Cochins but I don’t believe that the hens have long drooping tails so I would still lean towards this one being a male. The comb is smaller than a mature silkie roo, also a little small for what I would expect to see on a 4 month old male (guessing based on the timing you gave) but he could be late blooming. Hopefully someone else who knows their stuff will be able to help. Maybe @2ndTink or @Debbie292d can give a more definitive answer!!

Thank you!

 

[Debbie292d]

I do think that most satin silkies were created using Cochins to get the satin gene in the line but a lot of times it was far enough back that they look just like purebred silkies except for having the satin feathers. Since yours is a first generation cross, that makes sense!

I haven’t ever had Cochins but I don’t believe that the hens have long drooping tails so I would still lean towards this one being a male. The comb is smaller than a mature silkie roo, also a little small for what I would expect to see on a 4 month old male (guessing based on the timing you gave) but he could be late blooming. Hopefully someone else who knows their stuff will be able to help. Maybe @2ndTink or @Debbie292d can give a more definitive answer!!

I agree about the comb. That's a silkie male comb, in my opinion, as it's getting the walnut look and has pretty good-sized wattles already too. It's harder as there's no definition between the floofy head and the hackles on the neck we're used to with pure silkies.

I have four old pet quality chickens, a rooster, and three hens, and three are satin. I honestly don't know what they are crossed with, as the rooster was given to us with two hens that have since passed. But yes, somewhere in their genes, long ago even, a cochin got in the mix of them. They bred btwn themselves and created a few very pretty chickens.

No walnut comb on this guy. He was considered a frizzle silkie, pet quality.



This one is a satin partridge silkie, pet quality.


So you can see how beautiful yours may become, and it doesn't matter fancy or not, they are still beautiful!

 

[AMaxlow]

I agree about the comb. That's a silkie male comb, in my opinion, as it's getting the walnut look and has pretty good-sized wattles already too. It's harder as there's no definition between the floofy head and the hackles on the neck we're used to with pure silkies.

I have four old pet quality chickens, a rooster, and three hens, and three are satin. I honestly don't know what they are crossed with, as the rooster was given to us with two hens that have since passed. But yes, somewhere in their genes, long ago even, a cochin got in the mix of them. They bred btwn themselves and created a few very pretty chickens.

No walnut comb on this guy. He was considered a frizzle silkie, pet quality.

View attachment 4040894

This one is a satin partridge silkie, pet quality.
View attachment 4040895

So you can see how beautiful yours may become, and it doesn't matter fancy or not, they are still beautiful!

Thank you for your input. The more I look at her, the more I think she is a he. That's ok, though. We're out in the country where roos are allowed. We already have a 9 month old Ameraucana roo. Hopefully, they'll continue to get along. We have 4 adult hens and 3 pullets (if this one is a boy). Is that going to be an okay ratio? I suppose it's more of a wait and see situation. I'm hoping to hatch some eggs this spring, so that should help.