I hate to say it, but the hybrids have it!

[jwchicklady]

my bo's lay consistently, but they are still small pullet eggs. my isa browns lay every day, large brown eggs--people around here love to buy them at 2.50 a dozen. I need more chickens!!

 

[fla_native]

Quote:
i'm not sure which hybrid you're talking about, but different kinds of hybrids would yield different kinds of offspring... it would also depend on what roo is over the hens...

if you mean do they breed true, then no... (ex. a black sex link roo over a black sex link hen will NOT yield "black sex-link" offspring)

So if for some reason no further sexlink types were available for an extended period say, 10 years, a breed such as a brown leghorn may very well lay as many if not more eggs over the same time period?

Hows that for a run-on sentence?!

 

[catdaddyfro]

Quote:
Well, out of all the ones you listed I've only had dealings with two, the black sex-links and the red sex-links and they're both great layers of big brown eggs, consistently. The reds are a liitle more friendly than the blacks but that makes no difference to me as long as they do their job.

I have 5 GSLs right now and they've been laying for around two mos. now and are getting very consistent at laying almost every day. If it weren't for them right now, beings my older hens are in molt, I wouldn't be getting many big eggs, just the smaller ones from my whatchamacallits. I don't think they ever stop or molt, but finding their hiding spots is the difficult part of the egg gathering.

catdaddy

 

[wombat]

This is making me indecisive. We mostly have sex-links, RIRs, and RIR mutts. I was thinking of getting a bit more variety this spring, more lawn candy, so to speak ... but I like my eggs, and the birds I have are great layers. I can't decide if I should get that variety, or stick with what works!

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

Quote:
I'm enjoying a mixed bag of chickens. I have a few that won't lay much, but will lay "prettier" eggs (Marans, EE, Ameraucana, Olive Egger), some standard heritage breeds that will be decent layers (BO started 3 weeks ago, and is laying large eggs every day) and some hybrids to really produce well (BSL and California White). My Blue Wyandottes are pure eye candy, but are giving me 3 eggs a week as well.

I believe I've read that the hybrids will tend to "burn out" quicker than the heritage breeds. Since I have no intention of culling my girls after they stop laying, I'm happy if they are decent layers for 4-5 years rather than being exceptional layers for 2-3 years.

I'd say unless you are feeding a large family, or going into the egg business, mix it up!

 

[magentamomma]

My ancona lays ..no joke 7 eggs a week. Great feed to egg conversion. The only problem is that they flew out of the pen and got eaten... all except Susan B. I love them

 

[Akane]

I pretty much only have mutt standards now. I kept a barred rock pullet and otherwise gave away all my single breed standards. My best layers are 3 EE and then my penedesenca x maran x welsummer mixes. The RIR and sex links couldn't come anywhere near the number, color, and size of eggs those 2 mutts lay and half the time I don't have to put feed in the big coop. They free range all day and the food and water does not go down.

 

[possumqueen]

The sex links and hybrids come from pure bred heritage breeds. YES, hybrid vigor is a good thing, but you can't have it without the old breeds, and you only get the best from the best of the old breeds.

They speak the truth when they say "It takes all kinds!"

 

[PortageGirl]

Quote:

If you breed the sex links... even if you get a sex link of the same cross, you will now have something that is very much a mutt. There's no consistency to what you will get, even if you make the same crosses over and over. No consistency at all. You can only get them if you start with the right two PUREBRED parents.

I keep some sex links, but also want some heritage breeds and some good barnyard basics.

 

[catdaddyfro]

Quote:
Yes they sure do come from the good ol' standard breeds, but here's what's different about these production type hybrids that produce eggs off the scale compared to most standard breed chickens.

They are hybrid crosses from Prodution versions/strains of whatever they cross to get the sex link type. Production reds(not RIReds) lay just as good as the black and red sex-links because they are a production type strain of egg layers.

Sure you can get Black sexlinks from RIRed x BRs (that's just one of the crosses) but not like the ones they sell for Production/Industrial type egg layers. Same for GSLs they aren't just a Red roo crossed over on any ol' white/silver female (yes you''ll get a sex-link) but they aren't a production type egg-laying strain of sex-link.

In other words there's a lot more to them than just crossing two different breeds to get a certian trait that you can distinguish the sex with at hatch.

catdaddy