Pullet or Cockerel? Black Sex Link

[Michael OShay]

My Brown sex link from IDEAL is a mix of a Rhode Island red rooster and White Plymouth rock hen.
IDEAL is the only place that I've seen that has Brown sex links. Here she is!

















So it's pretty much the same cross, but one breed is a different color.

Technically, they are all Red Sex Links (Red gene roo x Silver gene hen) but Ideal markets the particular RIR/White Rock combination as Brown Sex Links. Ideal also markets its RIR/Rhode Island White combination as Gold Sex Links and its RIR/Delaware combination as Red Sex Links, but again they are all technically Red Sex Links as the Rhode Island Red rooster carries the red gene and the White Rock, Rhode Island White, or Delaware carries the silver gene. The result of these Red Sex Link crosses is that the chicks can be sexed by color upon hatching (males are white, females are reddish). These same Red Sex Links are sold by other hatcheries under different names such as Red Stars, Gold Stars, Golden Buffs, Cinnamon Queens, Amber Whites, Amber Whites, Bovans Browns, Golden Comets, Isa Browns, Shaver Browns, Babcock Browns, Warrens, Bovans Goldline, etc. The Black Sex Link on the other hand does not use a silver gene hen, instead it is produced by crossing a red gene roo with a barred hen, usually a Barred Rock. The resulting chicks can also be sexed by color at hatching but instead of white males and reddish females as in the Red Sex Links, the Black Sex Link males are black with a white spot on top of their heads and the females are solid black. The temperaments of these various sex links may differ somewhat, depending on which breed of hens is used in the cross, but they are all great layers of large, brown eggs.

 

[Poulet des Bois]

Technically, they are all Red Sex Links (Red gene roo x Silver gene hen) but Ideal markets the particular RIR/White Rock combination as Brown Sex Links.  Ideal also markets its RIR/Rhode Island White combination as Gold Sex Links and its RIR/Delaware combination as Red Sex Links, but again they are all technically Red Sex Links as the Rhode Island Red rooster carries the red gene and the White Rock, Rhode Island White, or Delaware carries the silver gene.  The result of these Red Sex Link crosses is that the chicks can be sexed by color upon hatching (males are white, females are reddish).  These same Red Sex Links are sold by other hatcheries under different names such as Red Stars, Gold Stars, Golden Buffs, Cinnamon Queens, Amber Whites, Amber Whites, Bovans Browns, Golden Comets, Isa Browns, Shaver Browns, Babcock Browns, Warrens, Bovans Goldline, etc.  The Black Sex Link on the other hand does not use a silver gene hen, instead it is produced by crossing a red gene roo with a barred hen, usually a Barred Rock.  The resulting chicks can also be sexed by color at hatching but instead of white males and reddish females as in the Red Sex Links, the Black Sex Link males are black with a white spot on top of their heads and the females are solid black.  The temperaments of these various sex links may differ somewhat, depending on which breed of hens is used in the cross, but they are all great layers of large, brown eggs.

I have 2 mahogany hens, now 2 years old. : Henny-Penny & Penny-Henny.
I bought from a local gal who said she "crossed the opposite of what is normally used for a Cherry Egger" , but called her birds Cherry Eggers.
I remember that she said all the chicks were black at birth, it seems that she also spoke of a white spot on males heads. But I hadn't remembered this till researching on this thread.
They have been fantastic hens, smart, calm, very social, train easily, excellent consistant layers, talkative to people, yet quiet in the flock.
They are not large birds, medium size w/ fuller solid breasts. The eggs have been beige w/ a hint of pink (compared to my orp's) they had been hatched Memorial Day & started laying later than the gal promised; layed into me for Thanksgiving that year.
This year their eggs are increasing in size & recently they have been quite large & their combs & wattles have become Very red!
( maybe they heard me talking about needing to cull them, lol)
Anyway...
I've started hatching w/ incubator, had success, as well as let my BM hen hatch a clutch.
I figured I'd probably have to be culling my mahogany Henny-Penny's this year so I figured I'd try to reproduce their line w/ what I had (a BCM Roo ) & see what I get. & I let a 4th grade class hatch 1 in a clutch.
All of the eggs developed, all but 1 was a bit big for the shell & had minor trouble pipping or zipping. But once hatched, after exhaustion "hopped right w/ it & was eagerly robust, as if to have discover , "I am!" They are a bit smaller
than my other standard breed chicks but so far, great personalities & skills. Some are black/blue, some blue/black, some

All had flesh colored legs at birth.
All have the "Henny-Penny" shape & head & look in their eyes that I'm familiar with in the mothers.

Long story to short questions:
I'm wondering what I've got; is this now a form of sex link?
Am I starting a cool new breed?
I imagine the eggs from these hens will be darker than the mothers are due to the BCM Roo father.
What else might I expect from these or further breeding them?
This breeding is all new to me.

Sings of wattles appearing. What does this mean?
Any comments, thoughts appreciated very much. Ill try to post pics of all later today.
P. s. do I always need to upload pics to my profile album before I can access them for a post such as this? Or is there a way to just upload from my camera roll or photo stream? (Using IPhone & IPad here)
Thank:/

 

[Michael OShay]

I have 2 mahogany hens, now 2 years old. : Henny-Penny & Penny-Henny.
I bought from a local gal who said she "crossed the opposite of what is normally used for a Cherry Egger" , but called her birds Cherry Eggers.
I remember that she said all the chicks were black at birth, it seems that she also spoke of a white spot on males heads. But I hadn't remembered this till researching on this thread.
They have been fantastic hens, smart, calm, very social, train easily, excellent consistant layers, talkative to people, yet quiet in the flock.
They are not large birds, medium size w/ fuller solid breasts. The eggs have been beige w/ a hint of pink (compared to my orp's) they had been hatched Memorial Day & started laying later than the gal promised; layed into me for Thanksgiving that year.
This year their eggs are increasing in size & recently they have been quite large & their combs & wattles have become Very red!
( maybe they heard me talking about needing to cull them, lol)
Anyway...
I've started hatching w/ incubator, had success, as well as let my BM hen hatch a clutch.
I figured I'd probably have to be culling my mahogany Henny-Penny's this year so I figured I'd try to reproduce their line w/ what I had (a BCM Roo ) & see what I get. & I let a 4th grade class hatch 1 in a clutch.
All of the eggs developed, all but 1 was a bit big for the shell & had minor trouble pipping or zipping. But once hatched, after exhaustion "hopped right w/ it & was eagerly robust, as if to have discover , "I am!" They are a bit smaller
than my other standard breed chicks but so far, great personalities & skills. Some are black/blue, some blue/black, some

All had flesh colored legs at birth.
All have the "Henny-Penny" shape & head & look in their eyes that I'm familiar with in the mothers.

Long story to short questions:
I'm wondering what I've got; is this now a form of sex link?
Am I starting a cool new breed?
I imagine the eggs from these hens will be darker than the mothers are due to the BCM Roo father.
What else might I expect from these or further breeding them?
This breeding is all new to me.

Sings of wattles appearing. What does this mean?
Any comments, thoughts appreciated very much. Ill try to post pics of all later today.
P. s. do I always need to upload pics to my profile album before I can access them for a post such as this? Or is there a way to just upload from my camera roll or photo stream? (Using IPhone & IPad here)
Thank:/

No you are not starting a new breed. Sex Links do not breed true, so when you breed two sex links together, you will not get any standard set of characteristics. They may still be good layers but they are just mutt birds. I can't answer your last question as I have never posted any pictures on a thread, just on my avatar. When it comes to modern electronics, I am still somewhat stone age, probably because of my age. ) One of these days I am going to try and post some pictures on a thread.

 

[troy4]

She's a pullet.

 

[Michael OShay]

She's pullet. That's the great thing about BSLs, you can sex them by color. The boys would be barred

x2. I have some Black Sex Links and they are my favorite chickens. They are hardy, friendly, and egg laying machines.

 

[silkiemaniac]

I had purchased 6 black sex link chicks from my local Tractor Supply. I ended up with two that were barred and had to give them up because I can't have roosters where I live. It turned out the one of my barred babies actually ended up being a hen. I guess that was just one of those rare occasions though.

 

[Michael OShay]

It you had a pullet turn out to be barred, she is a Barred Rock that somehow ended up among your Black Sex Links by mistake. She is not a BSL.

 

[donrae]

It you had a pullet turn out to be barred, she is a Barred Rock that somehow ended up among your Black Sex Links by mistake. She is not a BSL.

x2

black sex link males & barred Rock pullets are virtually identical as young chicks

 

[1zooman12]

I agree with the consensus except as a geneticist I'm not keen about calling such a cross a Black Sex Link. Sex linkage is not a type of bird but this is more correctly a Black Star - a designation and not a breed. Again, keep in mind that sex linkage of any type is a genetic condition and NOT a breed. I know that I'm fighting an uphill battle as this misnomer unfortunately is established among the industry from producers to barn yard folks. For example, in humans hemophilia is a sex linked genetic condition. If so afflicted would you care to be called a Sex Link or hemophiliac rather than the human being that you are? Please think about it. Ignorance is a terrific condition to combat.
Sincerely,
Neal, the Zooman

 

[QueenBubbles]

Well Neal the Zooman, I will take heed and start introducing my BSL as a Black Star from now on. It has seemed weird saying Black Sex Link as her breed. And she is a real beauty and sweety, too.