could this be a roo?

[Thechickenchick2]

Hi! We recently got 6 chicks from TSC and they are said to be black sex links. I do know even with sex links there is a percentages of it not being accurate (especially second gen).

One is WAY more curious than the others and not as skiddish when I approach them... his comb seems to be bigger than the others as well. His comb is yellow and larger where the other 5 have very small combs and are all black..
(The picture isn’t great.. asked hubby to get a picture and send it to me and this is what I got..... lol)

Thanks!

 

[Phoenixheart14]

How old are they?

 

[Thechickenchick2]

3 weeks

 

[lazy gardener]

There is no such thing as a second generation sex link. Can you show a close up pic of the bird in question. (with out the red light) If it is a black sex link male chick, he would have had a spot on his head at hatch, and his feathers would be coming in with a barred pattern. If it's a male that got accidentally mixed into the lot, that would be an other consideration. If all the chicks in that bin were labeled as black sex links, and they all looked more or less the same without white head spots, and there were no other bins of black chicks, I think you are safe.

 

[Thechickenchick2]

There is no such thing as a second generation sex link. Can you show a close up pic of the bird in question. (with out the red light) If it is a black sex link male chick, he would have had a spot on his head at hatch, and his feathers would be coming in with a barred pattern. If it's a male that got accidentally mixed into the lot, that would be an other consideration. If all the chicks in that bin were labeled as black sex links, and they all looked more or less the same without white head spots, and there were no other bins of black chicks, I think you are safe.

I was told there are second gen sex links. 2 sex links that have mated which then takes away the sexing ability when it comes to the white spots. I will take better pictures when I get home for comparison.

 

[lazy gardener]

No. 2 sex links that cross simply produce mutts.

 

[Thechickenchick2]

No. 2 sex links that cross simply produce mutts.

Hmm.. ok thanks.. I tried doing a bunch of research and I had read that on a few websites. It is said that not everything you read on the internet is true! Lol

 

[MinervaELS]

That's if people who buy sex links of both genders allow them to breed, and yeah those are mutts. If you bought them at TSC labeled as black sex link pullets then they are sex links that came from a hatchery. And the one pictured is a pullet.

 

[Thechickenchick2]

That's if people who buy sex links of both genders allow them to breed, and yeah those are mutts. If you bought them at TSC labeled as black sex link pullets then they are sex links that came from a hatchery. And the one pictured is a pullet.

Great! Thanks!

 

[rebrascora]

Yes, it is a bit of an anomaly. People will use the term second generation sex link but what they mean is a sex link bred to a sex link. The offspring will not technically be "sex links" because it is an F1 feature only and doesn't carry through into the next generation. I would be very surprised if TSC were selling anything other than F1 sex links because they get them from a hatchery and that is what hatcheries produce, but they do have a reputation for mixing the chicks up and putting them back into the wrong bins or mislabelling them, so your odd chick might be another breed or just one that is more of an individual. Sex links should be pretty much 100% accurate to sex.

"Second generation" sex links (there you see.... I erroneously used the term) are produced by backyard poultry keepers who do not understand the nature of sex linking and assume they can breed them together and get the same result. They are few and far between but they do crop up from time to time when people buy from private individuals.