Golden Sex Link

I think chickens like humans have different personalities. Some humans are evil too. Sorry, you got a bad egg. Could it also be the dynamics between the three breeds? Our four girls are all golden sex links.

We have 4 GSL and they are very sweet girls. They were pullets when we bought them at the local feed mill. Their beaks had been clipped and I asked why. I was told that it was to prevent damage from the pecking chicks do. It is apparently common for young chicks to do that, not just GSL. Their beaks have almost grown all back now and their is no pecking going on. I'm thinking that if yours didn't have their beaks clipped they might have picked up the bad habit as chicks?

Interesting. I have read that the commercial strains such as sex-links and hybrids can be prone to pecking and other issues because of the gene pool and whatnot. I know many people who have great success with sex links, however I also know some that are horror stories. Since you only had one, it will be tough to judge if the chicken just became aggressive on its own or if it was the breed. Since you had one year of normal behavior, I'm going to guess that this one just went sour. Large flocks of sex links are known to have feather-picking and aggression issues, causing a ruckus for the backyard owner. This is probably why you always see the option to have them debeaked being offered in the description on hatchery sites! Sorry about the experience. Consider a Rhode Island Red next time - excellent layer, calm temperament, heritage breed - you can't go wrong.

So interesting how they can be so different . . . Our GSL is my favorite bird. Calm, sweet and level headed. Definitely the best hen of our little flock.

Yeah, kind of crazy! But, oh well! What's done is done! She was part of my first flock, so now that I have learned about other breeds, GSLs just don't seem that interesting to me anymore!!! There are so many interesting chickens out there with awesome histories!

Sounds like a terrible bird!D=

Not all Red Sex links are like that. Mine is terribly curious. I swear she must have more lives than a cats 9. She is always the first one out of the coop, the first one to come running when she hears a bag being crinkled, the first one to the gate when I get there, the first one to poke her head into the bucket to see whats in there and she is always the one that finds the juiciest bits of bugs and runs away with it trying to kill and swallow it with the rest of the flock chasing her. Unfortunately she is always the one sticking her head out the gate to watch me while I am trying to close it while I am trying to not get her head stuck in it..lol. Even though she is a bit smaller than the rest of my chickens, she lays the biggest egg out of all of them and I get one almost every day. She also has a very fluffy feathery bottom..it looks like a ballerinas tutu. She's the white and gold hen in my avatar pic.

Wow! She's more curious then my Barred rock, Isabella! She always looks at me like "You can't touch me if you got no treats." LOL, she's the cutest thing in the world, I swear. She has cute curled toes and a tiny comb and waddle, she's puffy and likes to scratch outside on nice days and sleeps in the same spot in the coop every night, right next to her trusty rooster, Dexter. I believe chickens are just too cute to resist, if not aggressive I just love them to pieces and if they have those adorable faces it almost makes me cry of how cute those little guys are. I am getting bantams but I think a golden sex link isn't what I want, I don't even want to say it's name because of the word s.e.x In it, LOL.

Lol! If it helps, there are several other names that can be used instead of Red Sex Link. They are also commonly called Cinnamon Queens, Golden Comets, and Red Stars.
From what I have heard, Bantams can be very fiesty and aggressive. My girl is a bit smaller than the rest of my hens but she is still large fowl size.

I was just about to order two, now, sence I always get attached I won't.

Hellbender

Your right these birds lay like crazy for about a year and a half. I knew they would poop out and stop laying but I wasn't aware of all their health issues until My second two start getting sick and I did some research. So I didn't expect them to lay as long as my Heritage Breeds, but I didn't expect them to get sick at a year old.


nickers

They are great layers. Over 300 eggs in a year. I have eight different breeds and my sexlinks were my favorite. they are very friendly and docile. My chickens are pets, they all have names so its hard to lose one especially when their your favorite. I wouldn't recommend getting them. I won't get them again

I got these for my first hens. they also laid large eggs some 90 grams, but sadly it had a negative effect on the birds. they had prolapses. had to euthanize 4. fox got 2, 2 left they ley 55 gram eggs 2 years old now Good luck hope same doesn't happen to yours

I have 12 Golden Comets in my mixed flock of 39, plus one duck. 4 are almost 2 years old, the other 8 are last year's chicks. About a month or so ago several of the last years (I band them to tell them apart) started attacking the duck in groups, also other chickens. When at the feed store I was picking out some Cinnamon Queen chicks (similar to golden comet but roo parent is a RIR instead of Production Red as in Comets (from Cackle Hatchery). When I put 2 chicks in the box one immediatly started pecking at the other chicks I had already put in there of other breeds. Put that one back in the brooder, then another one was aggressively hopping out of the box. No cinnamon queens for me! Must be in the strain...stay away from these from Cackle! I did get 3 Golden Comet chicks, they are adapting well in our brooder with the others.

I agree they are very good egg layers.

Wow. Mine started laying very early. The first egg came at about 14 weeks. Mine are egg laying machines. However, layer pellets are available all the time. It gives out only occasionally.

And there it is, chicken perfection. Plenty of eggs with no problems, who could ask for more.

My are sweet and not stupied at all!!

I'm sorry about your chickens. I just sold 3 brown leghorns because they were so unruly and mean. When you said that about a mad dash in the morning that's the way it was around here. Well, since I know longer have the BL it is calm and quiet for the most part. An occasional spar but I think that's normal. I'm sure happy I let them go. They caused such a disruption that it was getting to be no fun. Anyway I hope you get you some more of your favs.

sorry about your babies ..I too have a favorite comet ..she always shows up when I am gardening