Single hen

[DollyG]

I got another two silkies at Christmas time to add to my small family, and they were about 18 weeks old then. Now one of them has grown quite large and has started to crow!!! Can chickens change sex?

[BeckyBoo]

They can, but I think it's really rare. What is more likely is that he / she was sexed wrong and you were sold a boy instead of a girl. You could contact the breeder and see if they might take him back if you can't keep him. It's a shame as the boys are nearly always bigger, more gorgeous and have that "attitude".

Hopefully he's not too loud and you can keep him anyway!

 

BeckyBoo

[SAB]

Yep, on rare occasions sex-changes can happen (happened with one of my chickens who now has a lovely new home with lots of girls and no neighbours), but in the case of a silkie it is unlikely to be a sex change and more likely to be simply that it is a silkie as these are notoriously hard to sex, often not showing their true colours for quite some time - many breeders will not guarantee sex of a silkie until it either crows or lays an egg - shame your breeder does not seem to have warned you about this .

[Janty]

My Tinsel aka He/She has 'turned' cockerel but she is an ex-batt at the end of her years and her hormones are up the creek, hence her new found male features. She has a huge comb, wattles and nice sharp spurs. Thankfully she hasn't really started crowing but she has always made a strange noise that is a bit suspect.

 

I agree with the others...as your bird is so young, he was sexed incorrectly.

[DollyG]

Thanks you for all your replies. Unfortunately, Myrtle (aka Michael) is rather noisy, but I have found a lovely home for him with a friend who has lots of chickens, ducks, cats, dogs, horses etc and lots of land to roam around. She gave me one of her chickens at Christmas (not the silkies). I will hopefully be rewarded one day with one of his (female) offspring!

[SAB]

Oh no, mine was called Myrtle too! She became all male and now know as Manfred and it sounds like you have found a similar home for yours well done and good luck to him!