Did I get three black sex link roosters?!

[maerose]

HI! I got 6 chickens a few weeks ago, including 1 barred rock and 3 black sex links. They are now about a month old, and the black sex links look exactly the same as the barred rock - so I have four barred chickens that I can't tell apart. I looked into it a little more and found that with black sex links, only the roosters get the barred pattern, and the hens should be black with maybe some other coloring but not white stripes/speckles. Am I missing something or did I just get three roosters? or maybe a bunch of extra barred rocks? I'm confused...I got them from a pet/feed store where each type of chick was in its own area and I saw them take out a barred rock from one and the black sex links from another. Anyway, any help appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Gray Farms]

Yes, they are all cockerels.

 

[Hillaire]

you at least have a couple cockerels on your hands from what I can tell from the pictures

 

[maerose]

Really?! No other options? isn't that the point of sex linking..?
Thanks for the help!

 

[Eric 2016]

yep that is the point of sex linking, it's just in this case you purchased the males. typically with the black sex link the males have a white patch on their heads and females are all black. remember feed stores are not experts on poultry, I was in a feed store recently where the employees had no idea what breed was in what tub, I walked out without a purchase.

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, maerose, and

! Happy you joined our community! I think likely what happens in farm and ranch or feed stores - the employees may not know the gender or put them in the wrong bins...or the chicks get handled and then put back in the wrong place. If you bought them has hens and the bins were labeled as such, you might seek restitution from the place you purchased them.
Best wishes and thanks for joining BYC!

 

[maerose]

haha oh no, what a surprise! I'll see what the store says. Moving forward though, I'd like to replace them so I still have as many chickens as I planned for. If I order some from a hatchery, they'll be a little over a month behind the others. The ones I have now will be moving outside soon so they don't need to share a brooder, but will it cause problems later when I put the younger ones outside? Alternatively I could also look into finding similar aged pullets when they move out, but that's a little harder. Thanks!

 

[Eric 2016]

there will certainly be some pecking and bullying going on when you introduce younger chicks, but in my experience that works itself out and they find a pecking order.

 

[drumstick diva]

 

[BYCforlife]