Blue Sex Links

[atm21]

Does anyone have any idea how to breed for blue sex links. I saw that mypetchicken has them but they didn't have the parent stock in the description. Was curious how they were able to get them. Such a cool hybrid!

 

[QueenMisha]

I know that @Junebuggena on here has been trying for a while to get Blue sex links, but as far as I know she's been unsuccessful. Something about it being very difficult to see the dot on them at hatch and so they weren't sexable until the same age as most chickens, 8-12 weeks.

In theory, a good way to produce one would be using a Splash rooster over a Barred hen. If you wanted green eggers like MPCs stock, a good cross would be a Splash Ameraucana over a Barred Rock, Dominique, or, to create Olive Eggers, a Cuckoo Marans. But again... there's no way to know if they'll be sexable at hatch or if you'll have to wait to determine gender.

 

[atm21]

I know that @Junebuggena on here has been trying for a while to get Blue sex links, but as far as I know she's been unsuccessful. Something about it being very difficult to see the dot on them at hatch and so they weren't sexable until the same age as most chickens, 8-12 weeks.

In theory, a good way to produce one would be using a Splash rooster over a Barred hen. If you wanted green eggers like MPCs stock, a good cross would be a Splash Ameraucana over a Barred Rock, Dominique, or, to create Olive Eggers, a Cuckoo Marans. But again... there's no way to know if they'll be sexable at hatch or if you'll have to wait to determine gender.

Ok that's interesting I figured barred rocks but I was not sure with what. They say a solid color rooster, so would a blue ameraucana work? Or is splash better I'm not sure how the crossing works with blue/black/splash and the outcomes on a barred Rick hen.

 

[QueenMisha]

Ok that's interesting I figured barred rocks but I was not sure with what. They say a solid color rooster, so would a blue ameraucana work? Or is splash better I'm not sure how the crossing works with blue/black/splash and the outcomes on a barred Rick hen.

Blue works. I recommended Splash since it will yield 100% Blue offspring when crossed over a Barred bird, such as a Rock. Blue would yield 50% Blue and 50% Black offspring. Mind that any female Barred bird will work for a sex link cross. Barred Rock is only a common example. Sex linkage is based on genes, not breeds.

Barred birds are genetically very simple. They're a pure black bird (so E/E pattern gene base with various Unknown melanizers to make a pure, solid black bird) with the Barring gene over top. Ignoring the Barring gene for a moment, you have a simple black bird. This black bird will interact the same way with the Blue gene as any other black bird. So you'll get:

Blue X Blue: 50% Blue, 25% Black, 25% Splash
Blue X Black: 50% Blue, 50% Black
Black X Black: 100% Black
Blue X Splash: 50% Blue, 50% Splash
Splash X Splash: 100% Splash
Splash X Black: 100% Blue

Add the Barring gene back in, and you'll get all the same outcomes, except some or all of them will be Barred as well.

 

[atm21]

Blue works. I recommended Splash since it will yield 100% Blue offspring when crossed over a Barred bird, such as a Rock. Blue would yield 50% Blue and 50% Black offspring. Mind that any female Barred bird will work for a sex link cross. Barred Rock is only a common example. Sex linkage is based on genes, not breeds.

Barred birds are genetically very simple. They're a pure black bird (so E/E pattern gene base with various Unknown melanizers to make a pure, solid black bird) with the Barring gene over top. Ignoring the Barring gene for a moment, you have a simple black bird. This black bird will interact the same way with the Blue gene as any other black bird. So you'll get:

Blue X Blue: 50% Blue, 25% Black, 25% Splash
Blue X Black: 50% Blue, 50% Black
Black X Black: 100% Black
Blue X Splash: 50% Blue, 50% Splash
Splash X Splash: 100% Splash
Splash X Black: 100% Blue

Add the Barring gene back in, and you'll get all the same outcomes, except some or all of them will be Barred as well.

Ok! That makes a lot more sense thank you very much! I'm thinking ameraucanas are best because on mypetchicken their blue sex links have tuffs and beards in the pics.

 

[dheltzel]

I know that @Junebuggena on here has been trying for a while to get Blue sex links, but as far as I know she's been unsuccessful. Something about it being very difficult to see the dot on them at hatch and so they weren't sexable until the same age as most chickens, 8-12 weeks.

In theory, a good way to produce one would be using a Splash rooster over a Barred hen. If you wanted green eggers like MPCs stock, a good cross would be a Splash Ameraucana over a Barred Rock, Dominique, or, to create Olive Eggers, a Cuckoo Marans. But again... there's no way to know if they'll be sexable at hatch or if you'll have to wait to determine gender.

This is correct. I made blue egg laying blue sexlinks the past 2 years. Very pretty chickens that lay lots of light blue eggs. I used a blue Ameraucana over Barred Holland (first year) and California Greys (second year). The black chicks were trivial to sex, but the blues were very hard to sex and I ended up growing them out until the pointed hackle feathers revealed the males.

In my mind, there is no advantage to doing this cross over just breeding blue (or lavender) Ameraucanas. They might lay a bit better than pure Ams, but the eggs are also distinctly lighter in color because they only have 1 blue egg gene, and that gene seems to have an additive effect if 2 copies are present.