Part 0800.0005

[tracker57]

Hi All,

 

We've had real upset since deciding to get chickens earlier this year. The first couple - one died after a month because she became really ill and the second one turned out to be a boy and we had to relocate him to a farm. It broke moth my husband and I heart.

So we got 2 more, however after 2 months it would appear that one is a boy...again...it is breaking my heart. I am just hoping that she is just displaying some male tendencies because there is no boy around. (Fingers crossed)

 

She is a silkie and we know that they are notoriously hard to sex, but after 21 weeks there were no signs of her becoming a boy. She does have slightly larger wattles than her "sister" but other than that she looks like a girl. However, this morning she crowed...well it sounded like a crow...she was in the coop still as I was just getting up. My husband seems to think she was just getting annoyed because she wanted to be out...I hope so.

 

Anyway, I have decided that if she is a boy, we would have to re-locate her, right now I don't think I could face this though as she is my baby...well both of them are! I just couldn't bare it.

 

Anyway, sorry for "ranting" on here, but I know you guys will understand as its like worrying/losing part of your family.

 

Thanks x

[Lewis]

Could you post photos and people may be able to help sex him/her?

[bigmommasally]

My Silkie is very vocal when she is in a laying spell, she tends to have a period where she will lay for a few weeks and during this times she is very squawky. Maybe yours is just gearing up to lay? Fingers crossed for you

[meezers]

I thought my silkie was a girl, until 'she' crowed at 23 weeks he's very quiet though , we haven't heard a peep out of him for the last week.If yours is a boy could you keep him if he wasn't too loud?.

[Mercedes55]

I'd be upset too. One of our new girls, the lavender araucana, could still be a he as the breeder wasn't sure as they are also hard to sex. I think she is now nearly 23wks old and I haven't heard any crowing and I have to say if I did I would try my hardest to keep it as you do get attached to them. I don't know at what age one can be totally sure what sex they are, I would imagine someone on here must know

[meezers]

I'd be upset too. One of our new girls, the lavender araucana, could still be a he as the breeder wasn't sure as they are also hard to sex. I think she is now nearly 23wks old and I haven't heard any crowing and I have to say if I did I would try my hardest to keep it as you do get attached to them. I don't know at what age one can be totally sure what sex they are, I would imagine someone on here must know

 

My araucana came from Wernlas at 16 weeks old, as they said that is when they can sex them.

[chick wiggle]

This is George, my araucana lad, he is about 20 weeks old and has just started crowing. He has looked like a 'he' for a while now, so i would think you would know if yours is a boy by now.

[Mercedes55]

This is George, my araucana lad, he is about 20 weeks old and has just started crowing. He has looked like a 'he' for a while now, so i would think you would know if yours is a boy by now.

 

Gosh he is stunning looking. No my araucana looks nothing like that, so fingers crossed she is a she

 

This is what she looked like when we got her and she was apparently 14wks old then

[Chortle Chook]

I have a little Silkie boy, Dill, and he really isn't all that noisy at all. Not half as noisy as a Pekin a friend of mine has. Dill is also such a funny little character. When he first came (in the middle of the summer when crowing times are at their worst) OH was ranting and raving come breakfast and I was in tears, thinking Dill would have to go back, but now OH just loves him as do my neighbours. I invited them in one at a time to see him and they all think he is very cute. Couldn't you keep him and get another girly, say perhaps a Frizzle, so you have the recommended trio of one boy and two girls?

[tracker57]

Hi All,

Thanks for the replies, I cannot figure how to post pics, but "she/he" has all male charicteristics, wattles, crown, pointy tail feathers, totally different from our other one.

 

She is currently about 29 weeks and we hard the 1st crow now, so compared to our other Silkie boy she is very late to bloom shall we say.

 

I am hoping that she/he will be quiet and then we won't move her to the farm. Even if its a crow a week it wouldn't bother me, but we're surrounded by houses and its them I worry about. Although I have been round to everyone to tell them about us keeping chickens and it was very well received. One neighbor said that whilst we were at work there wasn't a peep out of them, which is great.

 

We were thinking about getting another girl, of a different breed, just in case we have to re home her/him, then Max (the Silkie thats left) wouldn't get lonely.

 

Neither have started laying, I think because they were so young and then its got so cold. So hopefully next year, but i just don't want little baby chickies running around!

[Egluntyne]

Instructions **here** on how to upload photos.

[craftyhunnypie]

As long as you collect the eggs each day - you won't get baby chickies. Our silkies get very broody & like to sit in the nest for hours. We just take their eggs & then shut the eglu door in the warmer months. They soon snap out of it.

 

Our little white silkie girl ' Basehunter' can shout her head off - she's a stroppy madam. Egg announcements, next door neighbour greeting, cat in garden alarm, or just plain naughyness. I should have called her fog horn.

 

My silkie boy ' Scooter' is lovely & gentle. His crow is like a party blower / childs plastic trumpet. I call him Scooter the Hooter.

 

Emma.x

[mollyripkim]

We had our first chickens in AUgust, silkies who were sold as sexed but our lovely breeder told us how difficult it was to sex them and sure enough two were boys, we were all so upset but luckily she rehomed them for us. I must be honest with one of them I was sure he was a boy as he was much more upright but I kidded myself until he crowed! Then racheal the breeder had them while we went on holiday and as soon as she saw Doris she said he was a boy. In some ways it worked out well as we picked some more and so by the time we got back from holiday they were a happy little group.

Having said that Henrietta is a noisy little girl, any excuse, egg laying, etc or especially if she wants to come out.

I really hope your chick turns out to be a little girl.