4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[katieD]

hi

 

as im going to be getting some new girls soon ive been researching breeds- i would love a couple of silkies (lrg ones). ive found someone that has some they are about 8/9 weeks- she has said we can pick the girls out when i go to pick them up.

 

as i feel this then puts some of the responsibility onto me ive been researching sexing them and found that sometimes they show no difference until 8 months! is this true!

starting to wonder how i can get some young ones, not knowing 100% what sex they are- already had to get rid of one little boy!

 

any advice or pictures to help me greatly appreciated!

[Griffin]

I guess some Silkies are easier to sex than others, probably depends on the strain they're bred from a lot too, but I've found that once I knew the main differences between boy and girl Silkies I've been able to tell by eight weeks or so and I recently decided one of mine was a boy at just four weeks because of his comb development.

 

This is my young black boy. See how his little quiff points backwards.

 

And he's got spikey bits on his comb appearing.

 

Here is his sister, Penelope. Much bigger hair-do, it's fuller and rounder. She has no comb.

 

My blue boy, here at four weeks. Already his comb is getting spikes so he could never be a girl with a comb like that:

[katieD]

thanks for them pictures- they are gorgous, cant wait to get mine!

 

feel more confident in sexing them now- hopefully with there being a few it will make it easier to sex them as we will be able to compare- there is a definate difference in their hair do looking at your pictures.

 

thanks again

[Redwing]

Personally I think its a but much for you to have to sex your own birds when buying from a breeder

 

If the breeder expects you to figure it out they can't be confident in their own sexing or are taking a chance that you will take some of their boys off their hands inadvertently

 

If you tried to return boys later you might get 'well you chose them' in return

 

If you are set on going then also look at the birds carriage, upright birds could be cockerels, ladies are more 'level'

 

Good luck