How can I breed a black sex-link for white eggs?

[Eliza1313]

While a Brown Leghorn rooster should work when crossed with a BR, I am not so sure it will produce white eggs, unless they have a dominant gene or something.

My Red-X-Buff cross produced one hen that laid eggs identical to the mother (small, cream), and one that laid small light brown eggs. Neither were the color or size of the sire's breed (large, brown).

I asked someone else and they said their crosses seem to inherit egg characteristics from the hen. Not sure how scientific this is, but at best I suspect you'd get a random mix of egg colors.

With a Barred Rock, it would be highly difficult to get white eggs. There are multiple genes that control the brown color and tints. Plus you would have to gamble that the BR hen had a copy of the recessive gene for white egg color. I would be using Barred Hollands, that lay white eggs. So it is just a matter of finding a suitably colored rooster from a white egg producing breed/line.


Just weighing my options. I only have 3 Barred Holland pullets and 1 Barred Rock chick that is most likely a pullet. I may hold off on trying to breed for white or blue eggs unless I can get more Barred Holland pullets also. I have a Black Cochin cockerel. He will be bred to the Cochin pullet or pullets that I have (one is still a mystery gender to me) and to the Barred Rock pullet. May pick a Barred Holland for him also. Then will cross one of my Barred Holland cockerels to the black EE I have that lays blue-green eggs, so I have a chance of getting some barred hens that lay that color.

 

[Toddrick]

With a Barred Rock, it would be highly difficult to get white eggs. There are multiple genes that control the brown color and tints. Plus you would have to gamble that the BR hen had a copy of the recessive gene for white egg color. I would be using Barred Hollands, that lay white eggs. So it is just a matter of finding a suitably colored rooster from a white egg producing breed/line.


Just weighing my options. I only have 3 Barred Holland pullets and 1 Barred Rock chick that is most likely a pullet. I may hold off on trying to breed for white or blue eggs unless I can get more Barred Holland pullets also. I have a Black Cochin cockerel. He will be bred to the Cochin pullet or pullets that I have (one is still a mystery gender to me) and to the Barred Rock pullet. May pick a Barred Holland for him also. Then will cross one of my Barred Holland cockerels to the black EE I have that lays blue-green eggs, so I have a chance of getting some barred hens that lay that color.

Sorry, I read it wrong. I have BR's on the mind! That sounds pretty cool project. I never even heard of Hollands.

 

[Eliza1313]

dheltzel - thanks for the hint about the wing tips, will look at that too now.

Toddrick - It's ok, not everyone is familiar with Hollands. Then to top it off I accidentally ended up getting a BR chick that was marked as an "Ameraucana" thinking she was going to be a barred EE. Needed the chicks to keep the turkey poults I ordered from starving off.

I picked out a mix to get started with this year. Was looking at trying to keep heritage flocks. The Hollands are one of those. Then I found out about the ability to use them to make the sex-link chicks. Just makes so much more sense from a production aspect to have another use for the heritage breeds. Will keep researching. If everything I use in the crosses can be heritage breeds that would be awesome.

If anyone can think of any other interesting crosses from the stock I have, I am open to suggestions.

4 y/o Hens:
2 unknown pullets from TSC - light red coloring, lay brown eggs
1 EE with markings similar to a BC Marans - large, has ear tuffs, single comb, lays cream color eggs
1 white EE - has brown on haclkes, ear tuffs, pea comb, blue-green eggs
1 black EE - green sheen, pea comb, blue-green eggs

10.5 week old:
Barred Hollands - 3 pullets, 2 cockerels
Silver-penciled Egyptian Fayoumis - 3 pullets, 2 cockerels
Blue-Red Cubalayas - 2 pullets, 4 cockerels (I think)
Black-Breasted Red Cubalayas - 3 pullets, 2 cockerels (I think)

9.5 week old:
Black Cochins - 1 pullet, 1 cockerel, and 1 mystery

3 week old:
2 white EE pullets?
1 Barred Rock pullet?

 

[Eliza1313]

I just realized all the birds I originally ordered are white or lightly tinted breeds. Egg color was not what I was shopping for then.

 

[donrae]

donrae - Have you tried the brown leghorn cross? Just trying to go with something that is easy to see the spot.

If I can use a brown leghorn roo, that means I can order through a different hatchery and get more birds I want. Including the Sumatras and some geese.

And jumping tracks, where did you get your Blue Ameraucanas from?....I am going to need more Barred Hollands.

I never used my brown Leghorn for sex link crosses, when I had him I put him over Ee hens and was very pleased with the result. But you don't need a black rooster for a black sex link cross. I've used this guy over barred Rock hens and had nicely visible head spots.



And just cause they're cute, here's a pic of the blue sex links. You can see the spot pretty well on the blue. Splash, however, is a whole nother story--ask me how I know! I held those chicks under different light, looked at them from different angles, couldn't for the life of me tell if they had spots or not. Grrr.

 

[rc50]

You could stay within the Leghorn breed itself to get a sex link white egg layer if you wanted... a Red Leghorn male over a Barred/Cuckoo Leghorn female....

 

[Eliza1313]

donrae - I was wondering how easy it would be with the blues due to the splash. I am really considering using a Blue Andulasian, they are so pretty. Will have to breed some purebred first perhaps so I can get used to telling the difference between the colors on the chicks.

rc50 - I am looking for a breed that I can just get a male to cross with my Hollands for a white laying sex-link. I do not currently have any leghorns.

I am thinking I could use one of the Cubalaya males, but that cross would not be beneficial to either meat or egg production.

 

[dheltzel]

Using splash (or blue) in a black sex-link cross makes the headspot disappear, at least in my attempt. Even the barring in the wings is so indistinct that they are tough to sex until the males get other characteristics.

 

[donrae]

If you put a blue Andy rooster over your black barred Holland hens, you'd get blue and black offspring, no splash. I've been able to see the spot easily on blue chicks (my breeding is splash x black), but when I did splash x blue and got splash chicks, no way could you see that spot. I can see the barring on blue birds, but on the splash cockerels the barring is very, very subtle and only really visible in the hackles and saddle feathers. Sexing those puppies was a bear, so no more blue hens for me!

 

[rc50]

If you have Barred Holland females... then all you need is a gold/red male that lays white eggs.. like a Red Leghorn....