Blue eggs

[Gary Kenyon]

There are some Easter Egger specific color patterns that pop up, but it would be easiest if you posted some pictures of your flock.

I posted a few pics of showing each type I have aside from the Australorps. It seems to be the going theory that the Saphire Gem is the culprit.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I posted a few pics of showing each type I have aside from the Australorps. It seems to be the going theory that the Saphire Gem is the culprit.

The bird that is blue and barred is some type of Easter Egger.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Your "golden sexlinks" are golden comets. They are a leghorn x RIR. If you want more of them you will have to breed them with a full bred RIR rooster.

 

[Gary Kenyon]

The bird that is blue and barred is some type of Easter Egger.

Ok. That's inline with what everyone else is saying. It seems my Tractor Supply labeled "Saphire gems" are actually something else. No biggie. I didn't get them for their name. I got them because the kids loved them and they were supposed to he decent players. They seem to be on par with the rest of the flock, so all is well. Thanks for the help.

 

[Gary Kenyon]

Your "golden sexlinks" are golden comets. They are a leghorn x RIR. If you want more of them you will have to breed them with a full bred RIR rooster.

Good to know! Any idea what will happen if they are bred with an Australorp?

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Your "golden sexlinks" are golden comets. They are a leghorn x RIR. If you want more of them you will have to breed them with a full bred RIR rooster.

They’re actually Red Sex Links and are most commonly a cross resulting from Rhode Island Red cocks over single comb sport Rhode Island White hens.

 

[Gary Kenyon]

I had noticed that they looked very similar to my Rhode Island Reds, and assumed they were somehow related. Just didn't have any idea what else they did. Any idea what will happen when they mix with my Australorp Roos?

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I had noticed that they looked very similar to my Rhode Island Reds, and assumed they were somehow related. Just didn't have any idea what else they did. Any idea what will happen when they mix with my Australorp Roos?

You’ll get mixes.

 

[Gary Kenyon]

You’ll get mixes.

Ok. So basically it will be Australorp- Rhode Island Red/White cross.it's a little confusing because of the idea that breeding two of the sex links together creates something different than another sex link.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I had noticed that they looked very similar to my Rhode Island Reds, and assumed they were somehow related. Just didn't have any idea what else they did. Any idea what will happen when they mix with my Australorp Roos?

Australorp (black? as is typical) rooster bred over red sex links will get you "mutts" that lay brown eggs well and likely colored black, both genders.

If your rooster is white, likely all chicks will be mostly white with red bleed through.

If your rooster is blue, you will get black 50% and blue 50% both genders.

You can never breed a Gold/Red/Comet sex link to anything (not even another RSL/GSL) and get anything other than a mutt as sex linking only works the first generation to produce a hybrid. It is actually due to the color genetics that lay on the genetic strands (the Z, or long strand) that produces the sexable traits at hatch. It uses a red (roo) over a silver (non dominant white) hen (silver is dominant over red...roos are ZZ while hens are ZW...the hen then determines the sex and the color as her Z carries silver.) This produces"white" roosters with red bleed through and red hens with white bleed through. Breed that progeny again, and it is simply mixed genetics bred to something else with no gender difference in color.

Breeding to black will produce mostly black chicks, with possible red bleed through, as black is dominant over red and silver.

RSL/GSL tend to be heavy egg producers (with often ovarian cancer or other issues by year 2). Australorp are also very good egg producers but without the health problems of the RSL/GSL. Both lay brown eggs, so you will get shades of brown...and plenty of them. Both are fairly docile birds, with the Australorp being a bit heavier, so you'll get a mid-weight between them that should be fairly docile.

So it is a good breeding for getting solid, sustainable, egg layers. Keep doing that, and you'll eventually even out the production, body and temperament to have healthy laying hens. Only breed from your best in health and temperament thereby weeding out undesirable traits.

LofMc