Gold Sex Link

[Kyleharry16]

Would it be good to mate a male and female Gold Sex Link? Would the offsprings still have good egg prodution?
Thanks- Kyle

 

[Pele]

Quote:
What a good (but loaded) question!

Sex Links of all varieties are made by crossing two purebred chickens in order to take advantage of genetics. What you are looking for in red/golds is a red gened rooster (Rhode Island Red or New Hampshire Red), crossed with a silver gened hen (White Rock, White Leghorg). This produces chicks that can be sexed at birth because the males are light colored, and the females are caramel colored.

Now, there are multiple breeds that can be used to achieve the hybrid. What that means is your hybrid is a mutt, and like all mutts, their genes are highly unpredictable when passed on. You don't know what you are going to get from which grandparent. Maybe you will get lucky, and one of the grandparents was a leghorn, and the chick will inherit good laying genes. Maybe you will be unlucky and one of the grandparents was a New Hampshire, and the chick inherits their lower egg production. It's gene roulette.

So the answer to your question is: Maybe, if you're lucky. If you are after egg production, it's a better bet to just use a purebred known for laying, or get more sex-links (either from a hatchery, or by following the crossing rules with your own flock).

I hope that answers your question without getting too confusing. Genes are fun but complicated

 

[chi-rn]

I have Golden Comets. Pele is right.. they aren't intended to be bred... the results are unpredictable. You'd have to obtain a broody hen or hatch the eggs yourself. These girls don't have the "broody" gene!

 

[Gerry2011]

Okay, I was just wondering what would be the result of a pure Delaware roo x with any of the se-links? I have red & black sex-links and pullets that are a Delaware x Hampshire cross. So if I understand what you said, the sex-links will be unpredictable. What about the Delaware roo cross on the Delaware x Hampshire?