I have never had Black Sex Links so..... Updated with pics pg. 2

[mmajw]

I have never had Black Sex Links until now and they are about 4-5 weeks old and I was wondering is there a difference in their coloring from male to female?
Some are starting to get combs and waddles but I have never had this breed before so I am not sure how they mature.

Thanks

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

This is what it says about them on the Cackle Hatchery website:

The Sex Link Hybrid is the result of crossing two purebred standard breeds. The Rhode Island Red rooster and the Barred Rock hen. The baby Chicks are color sexed- males barred (black with light color on head) , pullets are black. This hybrid makes for very vigorous chicks, rugged brown egg laying hens and good cockerel fryers.

We only have hens but they are very pretty and wonderful egg layers. They are all black and their feathers have a tinge of dark blue/green in the sun. So assuming the males would be more like the barred rock.​

 

[mmajw]

So if they are black with redish chests are boys???? Or could they be girls as well?

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

If they are black with reddish chests, I'd say they are boys. We have both black and red sex link hens. The red sex links are red with some white, and the blacks are all black. Do you have a pic? I'm just thinking if ours are red with some white, why couldn't your hens be black with some red? Do they have the barring like the barred rocks? Our hens don't.

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Here's a pic of ours. The black star is the one in the front; you can kind of see the red star behind the RIR.

 

[peeboo]

okay,
i just got my first chickens in march and they were sex link pullets. their color has changed just little bits over the months. they were all black for the most part and yes. they start getting red chests or golden chests. mine are red. but all mine are females for certain. i have read that the roos have more of a black and white multicolor thing going on. not 100% on that though. i dont know how to post pics so if u want u can go on my myspace and check out the pics of my girls as adults and compare.
i'm sorry even better yet. i made this hat and my chicken is on the front of it. so check it out and compare if u please.
http://www.zazzle.com/sit_on_it_chicken_hat-148203761162667858

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Nice!!!! Looks nothing like ours so I have to say I honestly don't know

 

[peeboo]

yeah even with the ones i have that i got all together, they are all a bit dif with the pattern of red. one of mine doesn't really have any at all, one has more gold and others have a red chest. but i have seen all black. dunno what causes such variations. i guess genetic diversity huh? lol oh well. when i first got them i wondered if they threw a roo in there. one had a spot on it's head and i thought that's how u told if it were a male or not. luckilly it went away with time and they were all hens. phew.

 

[Davaroo]

Never fear, you will know soon enough.
The males will give themselves away - it's in their nature to do so.

 

[speckledhen]

Black sexlink roosters look like badly barred Barred Rocks, sometimes with color in their tailfeathers, like a green feather that a BR wouldn't have. The hens are solid black with gold/brown on their chests usually.