Breeding different crosses

[hitman1415]

First post, hopefully this is in the right area. I have had chickens a few years now. I currently have 33.... 30 hens and 3 cockerels.
I have read a bit about crossing breeds and what two chickens you need to get different sexlinked mixes, used the chicken calculator etc..

My question is, and I realize that a hybrid is not a breed and after the first generation they can no longer be sexlinked, if bred with another sexlink or a breed that is used to create a sexlink.... To my question! What kind of layer can you expect out of a red sexlink hen for example, crossed with a SLW cock or even a White Giant? I'd assume that most breeds crossed with hybrids are relatively good layers in their own respect, no?

Also, like I have said I have tried using the calculator. Here is what I have. 1 SLW cockerel and two White Giant cockerels. I also have these breeds of hens as follows.

Barred Rock
RIR
New Hampshire Red
White Plymouth Rock
Black Australorp
EE's
SLW
White Giant
Blue Cochin
Red Sexlink
white leghorn
light brown leg horn

If I crossed my cockerels with any of those breeds would any of the resulting chicks be sex linked. If I understand the calculator correctly, little to none of my crosses would result in a sexlinked bird. Is that correct or is there any of them that could be sexlinked? I think I remember the SLW x Barred Rock have different resulting markings for male vs female, if i am reading correctly.


Thanks

 

[donrae]

Your slw cock over your barred Rock hens will give you black sex link chicks. Males with a white head spot, females with a solid dark head.

That's the only sex link cross you can get. Well, you might be able to get a black sex link cross from the Giant cocks also, as I think they're recessive white instead of dominant white, but that's a more iffy thing. You could do a test breeding and see how the genetics play out in your specific birds.

for red sex link crosses, you need red/gold based roosters, and all your boys are silver. So, that's a no-go for you currently.

I've found the breeds tend to kind of average out when you mix. Putting a high production bird like a hatchery sex link or a Leghorn with a lower production bird tends to give chicks that lay in the middle of the two parent breeds. A good example is the Super Blue Egg Layers. This is usually a Leghorn crossed with an EE, Ameraucana or CCL, for the blue egg gene. Leghorns are stellar layers, the other breeds more average. The offspring lay better than the blue egger parent, not quite as well as the Leghorn. Does that answer your question?

 

[hitman1415]

Yes it does, for the most part. I knew I couldn't turn what I had into a red sexlink hybrid but I was unsure if I could possibly get a black which sounds like it may be possible. I really wanted a RIR cockerel from this spring's hatch to do the majority of the breeding but I didn't end up with that so..

 

[donrae]

Around here, roosters are pretty easy to find. Put an ad on CL or wherever, someone with an Oops will be thrilled to have him go to a breeding home.

But, you don't have many silver hens. The white Rocks are hit or miss genetically. White Leghorns won't work. White Giants, I'm not sure. Your slw hens would be your sure thing for red sex link crosses. Unless you have a silver based EE hen, she'd work also.

 

[hitman1415]

Thanks for the help. I will probably try to find a few Deleware pullets now and a RIR cockerel between now and winter so I'll be set for hatching some red sexlinks come spring .