cross breeding, culling, sexlinks, and more, swiming in the gene pool?

[chickenhobby1]

I have raised chickens for a while but I am now just exploring the idea of breeding and incubating my eggs. I have done a lot of research on this topic and found a lot of info but I can not find much on productive crosses or how many breeds can be sex linked. What breed roos need to go with what hens. I also am wondering how to effectively start a culling program, I have learned that the standard of exelance is a good place to start but I am unsure where to begin? I have found info on inbreeding but is that a good idea? Can anyone point me in the direction or places to find this info? Thanks

 

[sourland]

Search this site for "sex linked matings."

 

[Dutchgirl]

There are red sex links, black sex links, etc.
We actually found our own bantam sex link once. We used a Silver Sebrite hen and a Mille Fleur D'Uccle rooster. The results were roosters whose feathers resembled Silver Sebrites' and hens that had black-laced gold-brown feathers and lightly feathered feet.

 

[cmom]

It really depends on what you want and maybe breeds you may have to cross breed. I do cross breed. I have bred Delawares with Rhode Island Reds and currently breed Rhode Island Whites with Rhode Island Reds. Sometimes we do experimental breeding just to see what color patterns we might come up with. We have a male chick from one of our cross breedings that my husband wants to mate with some of our Rhode Island White girls. It's fun. Good luck and have fun...

 

[cmom]

Since you have some Barred Rocks (females?) all you need is a Rhode Island Red boy or a New Hampshire Red boy to make Black Sex links.

 

[ChicKat]

Quote:
Have you found what you are looking for yet?

On the efowl page for purchasing chicks, they give quite a lot of information on sex-links.

Black Star/Black sex link is RIR roo and Barred Plymouth Rock Hen
Gold Star/Golden Comet/Gold Sex link is RIR roo and RI White hen....
Red Star/Red sex link RIR roo and Delaware hen.

Another couple of hybrids are distributed in the UK and in the USA too, they are called Gingernut Ranger and Miss Pepperpot.

Also I think crossing a white leghorn with a Barred Plymouth Rock hen gives a 'california Gray'. Which when crossed with a leghorn again gives a California White. If I remember from reading on the internet, a California Gray Roo gets Plymouth Rock coloring from mom and the hens from that cross get white from dad. somehow that doesn't seem quite right because sex-link hatching colors require the hen to have a silver gene, but I'm sure you are way ahead of what I know on this subject.

Here is efowl's link and also one from Omlet that talks about Pepperpot and Gingernut.
http://www.efowl.com/Red_Sex_Link_Chickens_p/1055.htm
http://www.omlet.co.uk/breeds/breeds.php?breed_type=Chickens&breed=Gingernut+Ranger
http://www.omlet.co.uk/breeds/breeds.php?breed_type=Chickens&breed=Miss+Pepperpot

Seems to me that a RIR roo would be a valuable investment for someone who wanted to develop some crosses of the popular existing hybrids.
Good luck with your program.

 

[chickenhobby1]

Thanks everyone. I am open to buying different breeds to get different sex links. I have found a unique sex link on the net but I only found it in a few places, has anyone heard of a buff orp roo and barred rock hens as a sex link?

 

[cmom]

I have not heard of that combination but have wondered what kind of chick you would get with a buff roo. If you have a buff roo put him with your barred rock girls and see what you get? I like to experiment.

 

[acy0029]

The Gold Legbar is a project I'm seriously thinking about starting. The gold and silver legbars are true auto-sexing breeds that lay white or lightly tinted tan eggs the, Cream Legbar has some Auracana blood and lays blue/green eggs.
Here is a chart on the gold legbar and silver legbar both are produced simultaneously through these crosses.

http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=7986864&start=0