Breeds that are sexable at hatching?

[sophiejw]

Can anyone tell me what breeds of chicken are sexable at day old?

I've hatched out quite a few different types of chicken since I've started hatching them a year ago, but seem to keep picking breeds that take forever to tell what sex they are (silkie, araucana, australorp, orpington, white star, old cotswold legbar and maran). And now I have some Light Sussex eggs in the incubator- I thought they were sexable at a day old but apparently not.

So I really want to know what breeds might be good for me to try hatching (I buy the eggs off ebay so can get most breeds).

Any suggestions would be great. Thanks

 

[FireTigeris]

Depends on which side of the pond you are on...

In the USA there are no 'breeds' (except some very expensive cream legbars) that "auto-sex"

As far as mutts that are sex-linked there are many ways to do that... search "sex-link" to get it.

(there are certain crosses in particular breeds that also produces "sex-links" that are still breed (whatever) but the offspring still cannot produce more sex-linked chicks.)

 

[Chris09]

Since you mentioned White Star, Cotswold Legbar I am going to take a wild guess your in the U.K., is that correct?

Chris

 

[sophiejw]

Yes that's right

Yorkshire

 

[FireTigeris]

Well in that case you have choices, of which I am jealous .

 

[Zaxby's2]

Can you sex day old BBR OEGB chicks? I was told you could, and I have one so I would like to give it a shot.

 

[ChicKat]

Hi from this side of the Pond,

What I have learned is that ---> Rhode Island Red rooster with Barred Plymouth Rock hen with produce a black sex-link. The adorable chicks are black and the males have a white dot on the top of their head at hatching. I also hear that different hatcheries give different names to their own strains, so a black sex-link is the same as a Black Star.

A Rhode Island Red rooster with a --(I have heard several different hen combinations for this -- but I have heard that they need a 'sliver gene' --and I'm not sure what that is or how it works...but I will forge on A Rhode Island White for example or another White hen produces a 'Red sex-link' which is also called a 'gold sex-link.' Names of these from hatcheries are Red sex-link, Red Star, Cinnamon Queen, Gold sex-link and Golden Comet. There may be other names as well in the UK.

For the Red sex-links, the males are light colored like cream or yellow at hatching and the females have reddish fuzz.

You are in for a fascinating time. Post back and tell us how it goes and what you decide to cross, how it works out for you!

One last thing, the sex-links have hybrid vigor and produce lots of eggs. I have one that is a gold comet and she is a little bird that produces VERY large eggs (brown eggs). The difference at maturity between Red sex-link and Black sex-link is that the Black ones are around 5 pounds and the red ones about 4.5 pounds or even a little smaller. The Black ones mature earlier --- all this from Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens: 3rd Edition (Storey's Guide to Raising Series) by Gail Damerow -- I was just reading it today.

 

[Zaxby's2]

Quote:
I just hatched a RIR/broiler cross, and I know it's probably different but would I be able to tell it's gender? It's two days old and is yellow with a faint grayish color on its back.

 

[FireTigeris]

Quote:
But remember thee are sex-link mutts they are not a breed, the next generation will not do the same thing.

 

[Zaxby's2]

Zaxby's2 :

Quote:
I just hatched a RIR/broiler cross, and I know it's probably different but would I be able to tell it's gender? It's two days old and is yellow with a faint grayish color on its back.

Anyone have experience with this cross?​