What's the difference between...............

[Gerry2011]

Hope this is the right place for this question.

Are the black sex-linked and red sex-linked the same as the black star and red star? Or are these just the names the individual hatcheries use for their hybrid crosses, but for the same crosses?

 

[Chris09]

There the same thing.
Black Sex-link - Black Star
Red Sex-link - Red Star

Chris

 

[Ridgerunner]

There is no sex link name police going from hatchery to hatchery, handing out fines or prison time if a hatchery misnames a cross. Certain names are supposed to mean specific crosses, but if someone misuses then names, there are no consequences. I've seen different parents given for a Golden Comet, for example. There are no rules.

Many hatcheries use the word "Star" in the names of their sex links, but there is no rules that say which breeds are the parents. One hatchery's Red Star might be a New Hampshire rooster over a Delaware hen, while someone else's Red Star might be a Rhode Island Red rooster over a Rhode Island White hen. Or maybe the red rooster used is itself a cross between New Hampshire and Rhode Island Reds. Or maybe they call one of these crosses a Golden Star instead of a Red Star.

All the names with "Star" in them should mean is that they are sex links, but there are no rules.

 

[greeneggs444]

yup I always wondered why star and sex link got paired. what does sex link mean anyway?

 

[Ridgerunner]

There are certain genes that a hen passes on to her sons but not her daughters. These genes are called sex link genes because they are linked to the sex of the offspring. If the hen's gene is dominant and the rooster does not have that dominant side of the pair, then the trait will express itself in the offspring. For example, barring is dominant. So if the hen is barred and the rooster is not, any females will get the non-barred gene from their father and nothing from their mother, so they will not be barred. But the males will get a gene from each parent. Since the hen's barred gene is dominant, the males will all be barred.

There are a few genes that work this way, Silver color over Gold color in the down, fast feathering, even some leg color. So if you know the genetic makeup of the parents, you can determine the sex of some chicks at hatch.

 

[Gerry2011]

Thanks, ridgerunner for the info. That's what I was hoping.....that "sex-linked " and "star" basically are one and the same. I had gotten the idea that hatcheries were proprietary about which breeds they used in the sex-linked breeds.

 

[Gerry2011]

Ooops, Chris09, I didn't mean to leave you out.

Appreciate the info. I do like this website because of all the peeps on it!!!