Just FYI, not directed at any one in particular: Sex link is merely a breeding term, meaning that the parents are selected, so that when bred together, the males will resemble the feathering of the female. For example, a RIR roo over a PBR hen will result in black sex linked chicks. All the chicks will have black down, but the males will have a white head spot, and will feather out with barred feather pattern. The females will not have a white head spot, and will feather out black, with perhaps a bit of red bleeding through the hackle feathers (from the RIR coloring). With RSL, The dark roo is placed over a white hen. The male chicks will have white down, and the female chicks will have dark colored down. You can read more about breeding your own sex linked chicks in the Sex Linked Information thread. The first post has wonderful charts that will help you to select appropriate crosses.
Hatchery, or production sex links are bred in mass. Each hatchery can have their own lines which go into producing the particular sex links that they sell. MMc may use different crosses than Cackle. But, all of their sex links are bred to be high production birds. These are the birds which have the reputation of laying prolifically for a season or two, before succumbing to reproductive issues.
Home raised sex links often result in birds with excellent health, and great productivity. They may or may not produce better than the lines which the parents were selected from. But, they will possess hybrid vigor. When breeding your own sex links, it's possible to mix and match to get a bird which meets YOUR flock goals. My goals are: a cold tolerant bird, with a small comb, non feathered feet, which produces a colorful egg. To that end, my EE roo, (see avatar pic) x Dominique results in a black sex linked pullet with tiny little walnut comb, solid black feathers, with no red bleed through, who lays aqua, olive, green, or brown egg. IMO, home bred sex links are no more prone to reproductive issues than any other non production bird.
Crossing 2 sex links together will NEVER result in an other sex linked chick. However, sex linking, with specific breeding protocols is what is used to produce the auto sexing birds, like: Rhode-Bar, and the famed Leg-Bars which lay the blue egg. Those X-Bars will breed true, and remain auto sexing from one generation to an other, IF it is a good pure strain, and no other (non auto sexing) genes are allowed to enter the gene pool.
Hatchery, or production sex links are bred in mass. Each hatchery can have their own lines which go into producing the particular sex links that they sell. MMc may use different crosses than Cackle. But, all of their sex links are bred to be high production birds. These are the birds which have the reputation of laying prolifically for a season or two, before succumbing to reproductive issues.
Home raised sex links often result in birds with excellent health, and great productivity. They may or may not produce better than the lines which the parents were selected from. But, they will possess hybrid vigor. When breeding your own sex links, it's possible to mix and match to get a bird which meets YOUR flock goals. My goals are: a cold tolerant bird, with a small comb, non feathered feet, which produces a colorful egg. To that end, my EE roo, (see avatar pic) x Dominique results in a black sex linked pullet with tiny little walnut comb, solid black feathers, with no red bleed through, who lays aqua, olive, green, or brown egg. IMO, home bred sex links are no more prone to reproductive issues than any other non production bird.
Crossing 2 sex links together will NEVER result in an other sex linked chick. However, sex linking, with specific breeding protocols is what is used to produce the auto sexing birds, like: Rhode-Bar, and the famed Leg-Bars which lay the blue egg. Those X-Bars will breed true, and remain auto sexing from one generation to an other, IF it is a good pure strain, and no other (non auto sexing) genes are allowed to enter the gene pool.
