I have a couple of chickens I can't decide the sex on. Hope you guys can help. They are both about 6 months old.
Here is the first one.
Help me decide
Here is the second one. ( The one in the back with the red on it. )
they look very nice, The top one looks like my sexlink hen did at around 5 months. beady eyes, small comb and all. It got bigger and bright red by her sixth month.
-joe-
I would guess they're both hens, but I am not good at sexing things - 100% wrong on two sets of kittens!
I would guess hens to
I would agree they both appear to be hens. The black looks like an australorp hen, and the second looks like a sexlink hen. Just my guess. So good to hear from you cajun. Hay
I sure hope you guys are right. I need them to be hens. I have a pen full of roos!
This may sound dumb but if you have a lot of roos wouldn't they be jumping these two if they're hens?
The roos are young also.
If that is a sexlink - I am pretty sire that the sex is linked to the color. black being a hen and yellow chicks are roosters. If you have known roosters or hens of the same breed to compare them to, you may be able to see if:
The male has a larger, more developed spur than does the female.
The male has longer and more pointed hackle feathers than the female.
The male and female both have main tail feathers, but only the male has saddle feathers
I am relatively new with chickens, the information above helped me sex mine out..
good luck..
how many roos do you have?
I'm, with the "hen" party :). The black looks just like my 5 month old Australorps, and the red has such small comb and wattles that she just looks girly *g*. Now, if I could just figure out my silkies.....
silkies.... I just knew I had three girls when I picked them out.........till those little spiky hairs started growing out his head and the little guy wakes us up at 5:30 since then.
two girls and a horny little boy .. With no snooze alarm.
How many do you have?
I am thinking the white with red is a roo because it has feathers hanging around and down by his tail feathers that look like saddle feathers. Looks like he has the makings of a mantle too. He was chasing the black one around so I think it's a safe bet the black is a hen.
"How many do you have?"
Four Black Silkies. They are certainly NOT good examples of the breed, but I'm fond of them. I was sure they were all hens, even tho their size differs pretty widely. One is tiny, and I was never sure she'd (this one I'm pretty sure of) even live, but she seems okay now. One is about twice the size of the littlest one, and two are right in the middle. They're only five months, so maybe I just need to calm down and wait. I don't remember having trouble with my first Silkies, but that was 10+ years ago, so maybe it took longer than I remembered...
Margo
The black silkies are my favorite.. we recently lost our only one to a hawk..
I can't help sex them out - i hve not had that much experience, but love the pics..
the hens have rounded saddle feathers and roos pointed. looks like a hen to me.... I have a hen that not so much chases the other as follows her around and occasionally puts up a fuss for queen of the roost.
I'd love to see a pic of the silkies
-joe-
The silkie rosters seem to put on the long pin like feathers ( I don't know what they are called) on the head pretty early sticking beyond the puffbal (as they get older the longer pins get quite long) . otherwise the hens have a very nice rounded puffball head.
standard breed saddles on roos start out with pointy feathers that grow into a nice full saddle.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=97320
this is a good link that may help you out.
-joe-
Another shot of the undecided one.
This one may be a bit better. Do hens grow mantles?
This message was edited Oct 10, 2009 2:06 AM
thats a hen===== Paul
All the hen votes are right. No eggs yet. :(