# Help Silkie Rooster?



## Gen Gagne (May 6, 2020)

I am new to raising Silkie Chicken and excited! I bought 8 chicks and cannot keep extra roosters. Do you think it s a lovely rooster?
He is 11 weeks, stand tall and the red on his nose came out suddenly in the last 2 weeks.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

If it walks away from you and looks like it's all legs then it's more than likely a boy. 11 weeks is even a bit young for me to make a solid statement one way or the other.

If you pick it up and it whines like a little girl, then that raises the stakes to being a boy.


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## Gen Gagne (May 6, 2020)

Here is another picture ❤


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## Gen Gagne (May 6, 2020)

robin416 said:


> If it walks away from you and looks like it's all legs then it's more than likely a boy. 11 weeks is even a bit young for me to make a solid statement one way or the other.
> 
> If you pick it up and it whines like a little girl, then that raises the stakes to being a boy.


He always run away, whines often and guard in front of the door. He stand tall all the time and watches around! Lol


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## Gen Gagne (May 6, 2020)

robin416 said:


> If it walks away from you and looks like it's all legs then it's more than likely a boy. 11 weeks is even a bit young for me to make a solid statement one way or the other.
> 
> Oh when we try to hold him, he wiggles his way to be let go and run away. He is a fast little bugger
> 
> If you pick it up and it whines like a little girl, then that raises the stakes to being a boy.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Now you're going to have to let me know when he/she gets older if he/she is a he. (follow that?)


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## Gen Gagne (May 6, 2020)

I am thinking of finding a family for him (maybe)  . My daughter gets really attached and I can’t keep more than 5 out of 8. My chicks are very docile and have been raised with a lot of TLC They will make another family happy!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Since I no longer raise chickens I thought I could keep in practice by identifying them for others. Guess yours won't be one of them. 

And just so you know. I had one keep me guessing until she laid her first egg at nine months old. So, there are some out there that can have you vacillating back and forth and since Silkie roos don't always crow young it can be a challenge when the other cues are missing.


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## Gen Gagne (May 6, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Since I no longer raise chickens I thought I could keep in practice by identifying them for others. Guess yours won't be one of them.
> 
> And just so you know. I had one keep me guessing until she laid her first egg at nine months old. So, there are some out there that can have you vacillating back and forth and since Silkie roos don't always crow young it can be a challenge when the other cues are missing.





robin416 said:


> Since I no longer raise chickens I thought I could keep in practice by identifying them for others. Guess yours won't be one of them.
> 
> And just so you know. I had one keep me guessing until she laid her first egg at nine months old. So, there are some out there that can have you vacillating back and forth and since Silkie roos don't always crow young it can be a challenge when the other cues are missing.


Yes I am well aware that it can be hard to sex them before they are older. I will wait a week or so to see how he or she evolves. But the red on the crown gets more and more red every day  will see!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

The sexing by red would be a new one for me. I never had any with red combs, they were either black or the dark mulberry. But if it's true with other breeds, why not with Silkies?


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## Gen Gagne (May 6, 2020)

robin416 said:


> The sexing by red would be a new one for me. I never had any with red combs, they were either black or the dark mulberry. But if it's true with other breeds, why not with Silkies?


I have to say my lovely chickens are not show quality but they are TLC quality coming from a passionate woman who cares for her chickens even with their imperfection  Here is a picture of the dad (the most docile rooster ever  ) and mom (the one in front in the picture) So yes, the red in this case could very well show rooster. She never had s hen with a red comb!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

No, but I never raised any that the red comb had a habit of leaking out either. The buffs and cuckoos were the worst for the red combs. And almost impossible to stop.

I had one buff pet, I need to go find his pic because for the life of me I can't remember what his comb color was. Be right back.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

OK, found his pic. His comb was closer to mulberry. Not quite as dark as my other birds but not red. 

Yeah, the birds most important to me were the oddballs. Those that weren't worth anything to anyone else. 

That's a couple of nice looking girls.


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## Gen Gagne (May 6, 2020)

robin416 said:


> No, but I never raised any that the red comb had a habit of leaking out either. The buffs and cuckoos were the worst for the red combs. And almost impossible to stop.
> 
> I had one buff pet, I need to go find his pic because for the life of me I can't remember what his comb color was. Be right back.


Ok lol I am new to this hobby but what Do you mean by buffs and cuckoos?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Your boy is a buff color. Cuckoo is another color/pattern out there. To get those colors into the Silkies they were bred to other breeds that have that color. Then over years of careful breeding brought back the Silkie characteristics.

I've forgotten a lot of what I learned about why the red combs are dominant in those two colors but it has something to do with it being a dominant comb color of the breeds used to introduce the colors. I think. It's just been too long and since I was partial to the whites and black colors I didn't delve deeply into why for the others.


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