creating sexlinks with what I've got

[urbanagrarian]

I know I can create a sexlink with a RIR rooster and a barred rock hen, but I don't have a RIR rooster available. Some of the chickens we do have though are
Leghorns, hens and roosters
Dominques, hens and roosters
Barred Rocks hens and roosters
Rhode Island Reds hens only
Easter Eggers
mixes

Is there anything in this mix that I can use to create sexlink chicks

Could I substitute this red mixed rooster for the RIR and have it work. I know the rooster needs gold, but what characteristics shouldn't he have?

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd155/urbanagrarian/other_roo.jpg

Urban Agrarian
http://urban-agrarian.blogspot.com/

 

[GloriaH]

I thought it was a Barred Rock Rooster and a RIR Hen that made Sex Links but I could be wrong.

 

[beefy]

you can make sexlinks with a leghorn rooster and a barred rock hen. i think it needs to be a brown/red leghorn tho.

 

[SeaChick]

From feathersite:

Both Red and Black Sex-Links use a red male for the father. Either a Rhode Island Red or a New Hampshire may be used.

Black Sex-Links are produced using a Barred Rock as the mother. Both sexes hatch out black, but the males have a white dot on their heads. Pullets feather out black with some red in neck feathers. Males feather out with the Barred Rock pattern along with a few red feathers. Black Sex-Links are often referred to as Rock Reds.

Red Sex-Links are the result of various crosses. White Rocks with the silver factor (the dominant white gene would produce all white offspring) are crossed with a New Hampshire male to produce the Golden Comet. Silver Laced Wyandotte crossed with New Hampshire gives the Cinnamon Queen. Two other crosses are obtained with Rhode Island White x Rhode Island Red, and Delaware x Production Red. These two crosses are simply called Red Sex-Links. Males hatch out white and, depending on the cross, feather out to pure white or with some black feathering. Females hatch out buff or red also depending on cross, and they feather out in one of three ways.

Buff with white or tinted undercolor (such as Golden Comet, Rhode Island Red x Rhode Island White)
Red with White or tinted undercolor (Cinnamon Queen)
Red with Red undercolor (Delaware x Production Red) (In this color pattern it is almost impossible to distinguish daughters' color from father's color.)​

 

[wclawrence]

red rooster over silver or barred hen. That rooster should work fine, but I cant promise as I have little experience with sex-link crosses.

So you should be able to breed that rooster to your Barred Rock and your Dominiques. The breed doesnt matter, it is the color that matters. Hens should hatch with no dot on the head, roosters will have a yellow dot on top of head.

 

[FutureChickenMan]

hmm i read somewhere that to get a red sex link you put a RIR Roo on a Pearl White Leghorn hen.

Seems there are varying opinions on how to do this.

 

[urbanagrarian]

beefy - Thanks, but the Leghorns are white not brown

wclawrence - Thank you. I was wondering if the chicks might be the type born with stripes and if that would complicate sexing. Do you know?

everyone - Duh, I forgot that it is possible to sex Barred Rock chicks. So I can set some pure Barred Rock eggs. Now I read that I can sex the Dominques the same way.
http://www.dominiquechicken.com/Sexing_Dominique_chicks.html

I still will need additional chicks so I thiink will use the red roo also.

I really wish I could find a way to use the white Leghorns. I would really like the contribution of their egg laying ability. Any thoughts?

Thanks again.

Urban Agrarian
http://urban-agrarian.blogspot.com/

 

[LoneCowboy]

I read that a Red sex-link was a cross between a RIR roo, and a white leghorn. Yeah, I just looked it up. Pg 111 of Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow.

I'm kinda planning my future layer flock. I figure if I get some leghorns, and barr rocks, and RIR's a RIR roo, I can get all kinds of cool chick's out of just one roo. Red sexlinks, Black sexlinks, and RIR's Not bad.

 

[ksacres]

There are different ways of making a sex linked cross. One place may use a certain breed, while another place replaces it with another. It's the genes (barring or silver) that you need, not a certain breed.

Sil-Glo
Cinnamon Queen
Red Sexlink
Red Star
Black Star
Black Sexlink
Gold Star


and the list goes on, each named something different, each (can be) a slightly different cross.

 

[BlueMoon]

So one of the roosters I'm trying to find a home for, a handsome young guy, is half Golden Comet (red sex link) and half cuckoo maran. If he were to father hens, might their eggs be the darker Maran color? Which are the dominant genes?