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Black Sex Link chicken

Black sex-link (also called Black Stars) are a cross between a Rhode Island Red or New Hampshire...
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General Information

Breed Purpose
Dual Purpose
Comb
Single
Broodiness
Average
Climate Tolerance
Cold
Egg Productivity
Medium
Egg Size
Medium
Egg Color
Light brown
Breed Temperament
Docile, friendly
Breed Colors/Varieties
Black with Orange Penciling in the hackle
Breed Size
Large Fowl
APA/ABA Class
American
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Black sex-link (also called Black Stars) are a cross between a Rhode Island Red or New Hampshire rooster and a Barred Rock hen. Both sexes hatch out black, but the males have a white dot on their heads. Pullets feather out black with some red in neck feathers. Males feather out with the Barred Rock pattern along with a few red feathers. Black Sex-Links are often referred to as Rock Reds or Black Stars. They are planned crosses, which are hardier and more productive than their parents' respective breeds. The Sex Link Hybrid is the result of crossing two purebred standard breeds. This hybrid makes for very vigorous chicks, rugged brown egg laying hens and good cockerel fryers. These are extremely high in demand from our Asian community. Black Sex Links lay brown eggs.
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Latest reviews

talkinboutchickens
very nice birds
Pros: chicken-oriented, forms bonds with other chickens
Cons: none really
my black sexlink is very food obsessed, she loves her crumble. She has a few BFFs in the flock, Vicky, who passed away, Flo, and Phyllis. She likes humans, but is more a chicken "person". She likes the older chickens more than the annoying young ones. She is not that picky about what she eats, which is good. She is not vocal at all.
Purchase Price
Around $4.00 from a local breeder
Purchase Date
March 2019
chrissynemetz
Pros: Good layers of large brown eggs
Lovely plumage
Great foragers
Very people friendly
Cons: Egg production slows down after 2 or 3 years
Can become bullies to other chickens
I've kept black sex links for years and I really enjoy them. I have had them go broody from time to time, but they haven't been very good mamas. I wouldn't recommend letting them hatch chicks.
Rangergord
Pros: Very productive hybrid layers
Eat less feed than heirlooms
Beautiful feathers and easygoing temperament.
Cons: Haven’t found any.
I have had Rhode Island Red, Buff Orpington, and Red Sex Links and the only competition is Red Sex Link. Black Sex Links are better looking IMO. Raised 25 from chicks to pullets, and sold pullets to two other families. They are very happy with them and word spread around. Now people are asking me when I will have more BSL pullets. Maybe in another year or two! Get your coop ready because otherwise what are you gonna do?
Purchase Price
$6.50CDN each
Purchase Date
April 2022
C
charliedaly72346
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Comments

coop410silkies
I like my black sex link; she lays huge eggs, but not so often anymore. She is a bit of a loner, and hides a lot. She does not eat with her flockmates but prefers to eat out of my hand, and she seems to prefer my company to that of her kind, a funny neurotic soul with good potential, who can take care of herself. She is not a hog about food, likes confinement, is hardy and adaptable; I think I could easily live with a bunch of them and highly recommend.
 
MamaDuke0613
I love my BSL hens! I also like the variation in their coloring. I have 6 total and none of them have the same coloring. A couple have a lot of rust colored feathers and others have hardly any. I even have one that has a black face and comb.(she's my runt). They are 21 weeks old and only 2 have started laying. Hopefully the other 4 will start soon.
 
Calen
I have had Black Sex Links for 10 years. They do well in the hot weather of Central Georgia, and they are consistent egg layers. They are friendly birds, who do very well with my toddlers picking them up. :) I have kept them by themselves and with other breeds. One of the BSL hens was the lead hen of the group when in a mixed group. I have not lost any to disease. I do love that you can tell the difference between the male and females after hatch. This is the reason that I purchased them in the first place; we only wanted hens.
 
LFord
Calen said:
I have had Black Sex Links for 10 years. They do well in the hot weather of Central Georgia, and they are consistent egg layers. They are friendly birds, who do very well with my toddlers picking them up. :) I have kept them by themselves and with other breeds. One of the BSL hens was the lead hen of the group when in a mixed group. I have not lost any to disease. I do love that you can tell the difference between the male and females after hatch. This is the reason that I purchased them in the first place; we only wanted hens.
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So i am confused, we have a black sexlink that has the light brownish neck feathers and black body, but her tail feathers look like they are rounded like a males, she is only 4 months old so it is too soon to tell. If she was a rooster she would look like a barred rock right? This is so confusing.
 
Calen
Calen said:
I have had Black Sex Links for 10 years. They do well in the hot weather of Central Georgia, and they are consistent egg layers. They are friendly birds, who do very well with my toddlers picking them up. :) I have kept them by themselves and with other breeds. One of the BSL hens was the lead hen of the group when in a mixed group. I have not lost any to disease. I do love that you can tell the difference between the male and females after hatch. This is the reason that I purchased them in the first place; we only wanted hens.
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The first time I bought BSL chickens, we got one with a white spot on its head because it was in with the hens. We didn't know it was a rooster for months when it started to stand more upright than the others. It did turn from black to a Barred Rock coloration. My BSL hens have a variety of colors, blue/green, red/orange and black feathers. They all look different. I do not remember when it turned colors, but different neck colored feathers is common in the hens.
 
blackandtan
Beautiful but NOISY! Once they do the alarm squawk they all start up and go for hours! Mean and nasty too, I was happy to give them away to someone who wanted to try a few chickens.
 
mitchell5
I bought 8 sex links in late March early April this year from Tractor Supply. They were feeding them an organic feed. I took them home we have been feeding organic feed since and a non gmo layer mash for the year old hens. I found "new" eggs yesterday along with my usual eggs. (Hen and ducks) Why are my chickens/ducks laying so early? We weren't expecting any eggs until September.
 
feather13
We inherited our BSL from friends who realized keeping chickens wasn't for them. Even though we didn't raise her from a chick, she's the sweetest hen we have. She is a consistent, rock star layer (even though she's getting on in age) and is the friendliest chicken I've ever had. I absolutely love her and she's my favorite in our flock, although she is also the top hen in the pecking order and rules the roost. She's never mean or overly aggressive with any other bird, she just works hard to maintain her position. She's survived stray dog and predator attacks and an outbreak of respiratory disease (knock on wood...). I wouldn't hesitate to get another BSL in the future.
 
RingAroundTheRosie
Oh my gosh, these seem to be the most curious little guys ever! I just love it. We have 2 chicks and if they are not trying to nibble your fingers and toes, they are flying up to sit on your lap. I can honestly say, out of all my chicks, the BSL make me laugh the most. Super energetic and friendly too!
 
midnoight
Beautiful birds! Mine are quite skittish, but they're extremely loud if I do say so myself. Every time the rooster crows, one of your BSL hens lets out a loud squawk. They're also usually the culprit of pointless alarm call orchestras.
 
gram
herbmom said:
When you say very vocal, what do you mean? I'm thinking of getting 2 to add to our flock.
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Hello, I have two black sex-link birds and know for sure that the one that is laying the egg is as quiet as can be, and the other one is yelling like crazy the whole time her friend is "busy". Fortunately our neighbours dont seem to mind, but at first I will admit I got the lawnmower out and cut the grass to drown out the noise!! Lovely birds, good layers, and with our 20 degrees below Celsius we have in Ontario, I don't heat the coop at all, only keep the water from getting frozen.
 
Calabogie chicken lady
I have 3. VERY aggressive, never stop squawking. Peck at me alot. I will never buy this breed again, they also keep bugging and pecking at my other 4 breeds i have. And yes they are skittish
 

Item information

Category
Chicken Breeds
Added by
Reeses Peepers
Views
238,479
Watchers
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Comments
147
Reviews
95
Last update
Rating
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