I have hatched a brood of silkie bantams. They are 10 weeks old but alllook same. Cant tell which sex is which..if anyone knows how i need to know.
Answers:
The male should start developing more obvious %26 darker combs/wattles, but at 10 weeks it might be too early. The only other thing I know of is to check the saddle feathers. Males will have a more pointed or arrow shaped feather, while females will have a more rounded feather-but I'm not sure how close to sexual maturity these appear. If neither of these are showing up, as a very crude guesstimate-you could try weighing the birds %26 grouping them by heavier (male) %26 lighter (female), but depending on your rearing program, this may not work. Try the American Silkie Bantam club-they'd probably know more or try to find a University Poultry Science extension program.
, if it is crowing, it is defiantly a male.
not too sure but males develop spurs on their legs,again not sure what age but you could feel to see if there are any buds developing in the back of their legs
Silkies are notoriously hard to hatch, with even some of the most experienced breeders simply waiting to see which crow and which lay eggs.
Any roosters that you have will soon be starting to crow, but don't kill any yet, not until they are full grown.
Hi, females will have a round cotton ball hair-do, whereas males will have a "swept back" sort of look.
Since the color of the male and female of silky bantams are the same you will have to wait until they get older. Usually the females have wider pubic bones than males to allow room for the eggs to pass. The other more obvious way is the male will crow and the female will lay eggs! A pullet (young female) will start laying at about 20 - 24 weeks.
Try contacting the American Poultry Association in Estacada Oregon or they may have a website (I haven't checked if they do) or go to a local fair or poultry show and ask around. The people there can give you a lot of info. on poultry.
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