You can certainly hatch sex link eggs. The offspring will just be mixes or as some of us call them mutts, not specific breeds.
I’d like to mention a few things about sex links. There is absolutely nothing about them being sex links that makes them good egg layers. There is no genetic connection at all. You can take chickens from breeds or flocks that are lousy egg layers and if the genetics are right, hatch chicks that can be sexed at hatch by down color or some other means. They are sex links but because their parents are lousy layers, they will almost certainly be lousy layers.
Similarly, if you take chickens with the right genetics from breeds or flocks that often go broody, you can create sex links that will go broody a lot. The genetics involved in making sex links is totally separated from the genetics of better egg laying or broodiness.
Where a lot of the confusion comes in is that a lot of hatcheries sell what are basically the commercial egg layers as their sex links. If I remember right, Cackle and McMurray do that. These chickens have been specifically bred to lay a lot of eggs and not go broody very often. It happens but it is really rare for one of these to go broody.
Other hatcheries cross specific breeds, like Rhode Island Red roosters over Delaware hens or RIR roosters over Rhode Island Whites to create sex links. I think Ideal’s sex links are from crossing specific breeds though I don’t remember which breeds they cross. Some hatcheries like Meyer offer both.
Since hatcheries are practically always crossing breeds that are pretty good egg layers to start with to make their sex links even if they are using breeds instead of the commercial hens, those sex links will usually lay really well too. If you get a sex link from a hatchery, it will almost certainly lay really well. The difference may be that if they happen to use breeds that do go broody a lot to make the breed crosses, the odds of getting a sex link that goes broody increases. Many hatcheries use Rhode Island Red roosters in a lot of their sex link breed crosses and RIR’s are not known to go broody a lot. They’ve had the broodiness pretty much bred out of them like Bunnylady said. It’s still possible for a RIR to go broody but it really does not happen often.
I know I’m being picky. If you get your sex links from a hatchery, the odds are tremendously high they will be really good egg layers. The odds are also pretty good they won’t go broody much if at all. And if you cross them with a rooster from a breed or flock that lays well, you will probably get chickens that lay really well.
I’d like to mention a few things about sex links. There is absolutely nothing about them being sex links that makes them good egg layers. There is no genetic connection at all. You can take chickens from breeds or flocks that are lousy egg layers and if the genetics are right, hatch chicks that can be sexed at hatch by down color or some other means. They are sex links but because their parents are lousy layers, they will almost certainly be lousy layers.
Similarly, if you take chickens with the right genetics from breeds or flocks that often go broody, you can create sex links that will go broody a lot. The genetics involved in making sex links is totally separated from the genetics of better egg laying or broodiness.
Where a lot of the confusion comes in is that a lot of hatcheries sell what are basically the commercial egg layers as their sex links. If I remember right, Cackle and McMurray do that. These chickens have been specifically bred to lay a lot of eggs and not go broody very often. It happens but it is really rare for one of these to go broody.
Other hatcheries cross specific breeds, like Rhode Island Red roosters over Delaware hens or RIR roosters over Rhode Island Whites to create sex links. I think Ideal’s sex links are from crossing specific breeds though I don’t remember which breeds they cross. Some hatcheries like Meyer offer both.
Since hatcheries are practically always crossing breeds that are pretty good egg layers to start with to make their sex links even if they are using breeds instead of the commercial hens, those sex links will usually lay really well too. If you get a sex link from a hatchery, it will almost certainly lay really well. The difference may be that if they happen to use breeds that do go broody a lot to make the breed crosses, the odds of getting a sex link that goes broody increases. Many hatcheries use Rhode Island Red roosters in a lot of their sex link breed crosses and RIR’s are not known to go broody a lot. They’ve had the broodiness pretty much bred out of them like Bunnylady said. It’s still possible for a RIR to go broody but it really does not happen often.
I know I’m being picky. If you get your sex links from a hatchery, the odds are tremendously high they will be really good egg layers. The odds are also pretty good they won’t go broody much if at all. And if you cross them with a rooster from a breed or flock that lays well, you will probably get chickens that lay really well.
