I want a good layer like sexlinks but...

[Chicken-lovebirdchihuahua]

I really want sexlinks because they lay a lot and mainly because I want to tell the hens apart from the roosters they sounded great until I got to the part where they only live 2-3 years and my chickens are like my children and I want them to live a while also because we have a child in the house and they would be sad any advice?

 

[aart]

we have a child in the house and they would be sad any advice?

Good opportunity to teach your human child that chickens are not children,
they are chickens(either pet or livestock),
and sometimes they die at a younger age than we would like.

 

[lazy gardener]

Excellent point made by Aart. Chickens are not LONG LIFE pets. Best for a child to come to terms with the fact that death is a part of life, by facing and dealing with that when she looses her favorite hen, then never facing death until Grand Ma dies. Even the sadder experiences in life are teaching moments, and if handled by a wise parent, they help to form the child's personality. Children should not be insulated from the tougher aspects of life.

 

[4 ever Orpington]

I really want sexlinks because they lay a lot and mainly because I want to tell the hens apart from the roosters they sounded great until I got to the part where they only live 2-3 years and my chickens are like my children and I want them to live a while also because we have a child in the house and they would be sad any advice?

Buff Orpington great layers. Sweet temperament

 

[lazy gardener]

I would suggest that you stay away from the production and hatchery hybrid birds. How bout Plymouth Barred rocks? They are great layers. Go to Henderson's chicken breeds chart for more ideas.

 

[DesertChic]

I really want sexlinks because they lay a lot and mainly because I want to tell the hens apart from the roosters they sounded great until I got to the part where they only live 2-3 years and my chickens are like my children and I want them to live a while also because we have a child in the house and they would be sad any advice?

Might I suggest Naked Neck Turkens? You can cross them with anything and everything to create as much visual diversity as you'd like, they're exceptionally hardy and healthy birds, and my top layer averaged 250 eggs per year for her first two years and now that she's well into her third year she still supplies me with five X-Lg eggs per week. They also have fantastic personalities. I have both hens and roosters that simply love to be held, pet and snuggled and won't hesitate to jump up on my lap for attention. Here's a sample of a few of my birds:

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

I don't think they live any shorter. I had one that was four years old, and we butchered her, but she had lots of life left! I think people just think chickens only live for a couple years, because in the big scale factories, that's how it is, or else they get butchered. But in real life, chickens can live to be quite old! 12 years or more! Of course, if they are bred up to lay more eggs than usual. like a sex link, they won't live as long, due to their bodies working extra hard.

 

[BantyChooks]

Leghorns. I don't consider them spazzy, they are bold and smart chickens and when handled a good amount they become annoyingly friendly. That same brash temperament is what keeps them from getting eaten by hawks---they are smart enough to recognize potential threats and try to escape, so yes, if you don't handle them, they will be flighty. My leghorns don't have names, but there is one called 'red paint' that's a real character. She has paint all over her back because she decided to follow me around and fly up on the scaffolding while I was painting. Silly bird isn't afraid of people at all. They are curious by nature and rather remind me of ducks.

Strangely, despite laying mounds of eggs, they don't suffer near so many reproductive issues as the red sex links. They are more efficient feed to egg converters too.

 

[JedJackson]

I really want sexlinks because they lay a lot and mainly because I want to tell the hens apart from the roosters they sounded great until I got to the part where they only live 2-3 years and my chickens are like my children and I want them to live a while also because we have a child in the house and they would be sad any advice?

You hear about adopted battery hens having lots of reproductive problems when they go to new owners, but if you are raising them yourself I doubt there would be so many issues with them. Most live fairly long lives for chickens. You could also go with Black sex links. They don't lay quite as much but still way better than most, and I've not heard much about problems with them. They are bigger than red sex links and lay bigger eggs. I also think they are prettier and gentler.

 

[Beer can]

Wow, leghorn fan club here Lol!
Actually all my birds are a bit flighty (I don't handle them) and leghorns I've had were no more so, just what they're known for.
The friendly one's can be a bit annoying especially when feeding them in sandals