Breeding sex links

[dolmen]

I have made blue sex-links from BR x Breda Fowl, and black sex-links from BR x Welsummers, and I intend to make some other crosses next year to get blue sex-links that lay blue eggs.

What egg coloring are you aiming for? Minorcas vs BA's will affect the egg color. I've never raised either, so I only know that BA's are considered to be excellent layers. It would probably be hard to find a strain of Minorcas that would lay as well as hatchery BA's.

You can find people more knowledgeable than me for feathering and laying ability, most of my genetic knowledge is around sex-linked traits, since that is what I find most fascinating.

I'll have to read over some of your older posts to hear/see the sex-links you've bred.

I'm not fussy about egg colour really, but dark is nice, numbers are more important in my view. The Rocks I have are laying a decent brown egg, just weighed one this am, it was 2.7oz, the BA's are smaller in size with light tint! I have a good strain of Exchequer Leghorn coming my way, and I have plans for those with some minorca x game fowl thats available.
I was going to get rid of my lazy big birds and go bantam/light, concentrating on egg laying with a nice meat ratio.... small, with just enough eating for one, sounded good to me. Anyhow decided to give these BA's another chance with some cross breeding.

I too like the auto-sexing idea, read about Welbars many years ago, but never got started, until recently the whole idea rekindled, I was hoping I could make the birds I have into an auto-sexing breed, you've been a big help explaining the double barring, it now makes sense to me, I can imagine the birds on the ground. I still think I'll give them a chance, as they are here and the first eggs in the incubator!

I do like the busyness of game birds, kept them for a good few years and miss them. Thats the reason for taking the minorca/game cross, trying to get egg numbers up and the first cross is already done.

This conversation should probably be via PM's, boring the life outta everyone else!!
Cheers

 

[dheltzel]

IDK, seems like discussions about crossing and sex-linking are pretty popular reads on this site.

I am focusing on auto-sexing breeds, but also breeds that are sexable at a young age, like the black barred breeds and Welsummers. Anything that takes 4 months or more to sex out will not have much of a place in my future breeding plans because I need the space for pullets and can't use that for raising a bunch of (largely) worthless cockerels.

 

[dolmen]

can you say what your plans are to hold the blue egg colour and get a sex link too? tia

 

[dheltzel]

can you say what your plans are to hold the blue egg colour and get a sex link too? tia

Easy, I'm using barred hens that lay white eggs (Barred Hollands) and a blue Ameracauna roo. Half the chicks will be black sex links and half will be blue. All males should have a head spot and all pullets will lay blue eggs because Ams are heterozygous for blue eggs and it is a dominant trait. I could use a splash Am roo to get 100% blue sex links, but I like variety.

If you used barred rock hens covered by an Am roo, you'd get green eggs, but I like bright blue better.

 

[dolmen]

Thanks, thats one to keep in mind, wouldn't mind trying to get some blue eggs in my mix at some point.

 

[dolmen]

Here is a short video of my F1 generation chicks, to me they should all be pullets? what do others think? tia

 

[donrae]

Those black birds all look to be pullets

. I'm going to have you kiss my eggs next time I'm hatching!

 

[xerxes]

very informative

 

[dolmen]

Here is another short video showing the birds at 30 days old, there are two with few tail feathers and the other two have quite pronounced tail feathers! makes me wonder if there may be a couple of roosters in there even though they had no lighter coloured head spots? whats your opinion thanks?

 

[dolmen]

Anyone fancy a stab at reasoning for the difference in tails? tia