Confused with Ideal Poultry

[tdaigle]

I have been told that red and gold sex links are the same thing, but Ideal poultry has both labeled as two different breeds. So what I am wodering is which one is the right one?

 

[Pyxis]

Sex links aren't a real breed, so you get different varieties of them by crossing different birds. Ideal probably has a different cross to produce the two different colors. They probably are very similar in terms of egg production.

 

[Cowgirl71]

Ideal has Red Sexlinks, Gold Sexlinks, and Brown Sexlinks. If my memory serves me correctly, their descriptions say that one is a Rhode Island Red/Rhode Island White cross, one is a Rhode Island Red/White Plymouth Rock cross, and one is a Rhode Island Red/Delaware cross.

If you're after high egg production, any of them would be great choices. The Rhode Island White Sexlink would probably be the very best layer of the three, followed by the White Rock and then the Delaware.

 

[bigt447]

I have great laying red Sex-links that are White barred rock hen with Rhode Island Red rooster..... Plus some that the rooster is a New Hampshire Red....makes some nice color variations... All still known as Red Sex-Links...(plus a lot of other names such as Red Star for example.)

 

[Michael OShay]

I have been told that red and gold sex links are the same thing, but Ideal poultry has both labeled as two different breeds. So what I am wodering is which one is the right one?

Any hybrid in which a red gene rooster (RIR, NH, or PR) is crossed with a silver gene hen (RIW, SLW, Delaware, LS, or silver factor WPR) is a Red Sex Link. Different hatcheries market their Red Sex Links under different labels depending on which silver gene hen is used in the cross. Ideal Poultry markets its RIR X Delaware as a Red Sex Link, its RIR X RIW as a Gold Sex Link, and its RIR X silver factor WPR as a Brown Sex Link. I've had all three Red Sex Link crosses from Ideal at one time or another (as well as RIR X SLW and RIR X LS), and I honestly can't tell a difference in the lay rate. All of these RSL crosses are egg laying machines, outlaying either parent breed. It's one of the interesting quirks of hybridization. I actually personally prefer the Black Sex Links, which are RIR rooster X Barred Rock hen, to the Reds. They have the same great laying rate as the RSLs, and my Blacks have been friendlier than my Reds. In addition, they have been slightly better layers than my Reds in really cold winter weather. However, I don't thing you can go wrong with either sex link variety.