Pullet or Cockerel? Black Sex Link

[bigmrg74]

Yay eggs!! How old are your BSLs that are laying?

like I said earlier in the thread, I picked them all up from TSC on April 15th.

 

[bigmrg74]

I was out most of the day today here, but according to Mom, the egg count was 6 today.

 

[knipper5]

Here is my lady Truffle, still waiting on the first egg. I got one from my ameraucana and she is younger then Truffle. I took the photo in the evening and the lighting doesn't do her credit, she is truly beautiful.

 

[jtbass2756]

Have never had BSL chickens. These are supposed to all be pullets......why do some have pink/red faces and others have black faces?

 

[donrae]

Have never had BSL chickens. These are supposed to all be pullets......why do some have pink/red faces and others have black faces?

It's just a normal variation. Usually the pinker faced birds are more mature, but there are some genetics that cause a bird to have darker face. Not gender related at all

 

[QueenBubbles]

Like donrae said, genetic variation. Some are all black and others are red and black - they start that way as chicks.

My Red had a Robin-red-breast look as a chick and now she has this stunning look:

There were also all black chicks from the same hatch, but I really liked the red/black combo. She had some crazy roostery tail feathers for awhile, but they fell out.

 

[Bean789]

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

A lot of them are marketed as BSL instead of Black Star, etc. I will begin calling her a Black Star. Her name is Tauriel though. LOL

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

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

Who's ignorance are you battling? The assertion of sex links not being a breed is a very widely used one here on BYC. It is, in fact, the first thing mentioned when someone states that their bird is insert cutesy name breed - with those responding pointing out that the bird is in fact NOT a breed at all. As for your statement that the cutesy names used are the more appropriate term is one I will respectfully disagree with. In fact, all the cutesy names in the world (star, comet, various hatchery name brown, etc.) are less correct or appropriate descriptives for what the birds are.

 

[QueenBubbles]

Have never had BSL chickens. These are supposed to all be pullets......why do some have pink/red faces and others have black faces?

BTW, your pullets are very beautiful!!

 

[jtbass2756]

Bubbles, thank you so much. The older they get... The prettier they are to me. They are so spoiled! I guess its better I don't knows how old they are...or..I would pitch a tent so I could watch for the first from them! LOLOL... It seems like each pullet is your "first" and the excitement starts all o er again!