Sex- linked Information

[junebuggena]

Thank you for the info. So it would be difficult if not impossible for the fist few days, but by one to two weeks old would I be able to tell males from females?

Yes. It might not be obvious until they are feathered in.

 

[donrae]

Oh, if only I had enough breeding and grow out pens for all the projects I want to try! I was thinking of putting a gold laced Polish rooster over various silver hens, just to see how the chicks came out for the sex linkage. Haven't been able to try it yet--if you do your cross, please post!

 

[Mosey2003]

Can anyone explain why the NH Red is preferred for black sexlinks? Someone told me recently that using my Buff Orpington rooster is not nearly as good. Opinions? Anywhere I can read more?

 

[junebuggena]

Can anyone explain why the NH Red is preferred for black sexlinks? Someone told me recently that using my Buff Orpington rooster is not nearly as good. Opinions? Anywhere I can read more?

New Hampshire Reds are a production type breed, and helps increase the production rate of the sexlinked offspring. Orpingtons tend to be more broody, and take longer to mature, affecting overall egg output negatively.
Both breeds will work to produce sexable chicks at hatching, though.

 

[Mosey2003]

New Hampshire Reds are a production type breed, and helps increase the production rate of the sexlinked offspring. Orpingtons tend to be more broody, and take longer to mature, affecting overall egg output negatively.
Both breeds will work to produce sexable chicks at hatching, though.

So my Buff crosses aren't going to be as productive... Would they still be considered 'good' layers, do you think? Hmmm..... I can get a heritage NH Red cockerel to go with the heritage Barred Rocks I'm incubating. I just don't know if I'm ready to give up my pretty Buffs yet or not But, if I want to sell chicks, it would probably be best to make them properly. I did hatch out a batch of Buff/Rocks a few weeks ago and they were sex-able, but I won't know what they produce egg-wise for a few months.

 

[junebuggena]

They will be better producers than purebred Orpingtons, but they won't be quite as prolific as hatchery sourced black sexlinks.

 

[Mosey2003]

They will be better producers than purebred Orpingtons, but they won't be quite as prolific as hatchery sourced black sexlinks.

Well, they're laying about 5 eggs a week, so not bad already. Maybe I'll hang onto Brewster a little longer, he really is a nice boy Thank you!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Chickens inherit traits from both of their parents. If both parents come from flocks that lay well, the pullets from that cross should also lay well. If the flocks the parents come from are inbred a little, you may also get a boost from hybrid vigor. If that Buff Orp rooster comes from a flock that lays well, his daughters should lay well with those Barred Rocks.

Which rooster is the best to use depends on your goals. The rooster that is “best” for me might not be “best” for you. If you are happy with that Buff Orp rooster, try him and see how you like the offspring. If your Buff Orp rooster is a hatchery chicken, there is no guarantee a hatchery New Hampshire rooster will provide batter laying genetics. New Hampshires were originally developed as a meat bird, not a laying bird anyway, but that distinction has pretty much been lost in hatchery chicks.

The color Buff includes some pretty strong modifiers that can change black. You’d expect the chicks from a cross of a Buff Orp rooter and a Barred Rock hen to be pretty much black. They might be, but a lot of the time you get some really different feathering. Sometimes the chicks have patches (sometimes large patches) of orange or yellow feathers after they feather out. Or you get a pattern of yellow or orange feathers mixed in. To me, those can be some really striking chicks when they feather out.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But if you keep the pullets from your hatch and let them get their adult plumage, they might be a selling point for potential buyers.

Good luck!

 

[windyridgefarm]

Can anyone explain why the NH Red is preferred for black sexlinks? Someone told me recently that using my Buff Orpington rooster is not nearly as good. Opinions? Anywhere I can read more?

I believe it is that it is based primarily on the resulting chicks having very clear and distinct identification patterns.
I wish we could have a working list of the various crosses that have worked for people in the past graded on ease of sexability. It would be an easy reference and would eliminate all the questions asking if this rooster will work with that hen that are often repeated on here. Anyone need a project lol.

 

[Mosey2003]

My Buff Orp trio are breeder birds, and a mixture of American and English lines. Very big, fluffy, gentle birds. My current Rocks were bought from someone as 4 month old pullets that said his friend bred them, but I assume they are pretty much standard hatchery fare. Decent birds, but not fancy. The eggs I'm putting in the incubator tonight are the Good Shepherd line of Rocks, and I can get a heritage NH Red cockerel too. The person that said Orps weren't good for crossing wasn't worried about the sexing, but implied that the birds wouldn't lay as well. What he actually said was that Orps are useless for crossing. Hopefully my friend that bought my first batch of Orp/Rocks will keep me posted as to how they do and what they look like, they were pretty easy to sex once they were dry. There was one that had a stray yellow bit on the head that I am sure is actually a pullet, had red face and black legs, and once the feathers came in on the wings they were brown like the other pullets, not black and white like the cockerels.

This is Brewster and one of the Rocks last fall, he was hatched last February. He's already bigger and fluffier, quite the handsome fellow.


Here's one of my Orp hens: