Making our own Stars?

[RAREROO]

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Yes but we are talking about using the barred pullets of those BR roo X RIR hen offspring to use with a non barred rooster to get sexlinks, not using a BR roo on RIR hens to make sexlinks.

 

[Ridgerunner]

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Thanks, I learned something. I thought this was the case but was not sure.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

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Sex link genetics aside, I'm not sure what you are after. If it is just that you want good egg layers, you need to cross good egg layers with good egg layers. They do not need to be sex links or any specific breeds. Some chickens within a breed can vary quite a bit on how good they are at laying eggs. Let's use RIR for example. Most RIR are pretty good egg layers. They have been developed to lay eggs. But if somebody is breeding RIR's for show and not as good egg layers, they may have some beautiful RIR's that are not good egg layers. It just depends on what traits they have been reinforcing with their breeding program. Odds are that your RIR is from a good egg laying line, especially if he came from a hatchery. Hatcheries breed them to have the genetics to lay eggs.

You can make a red sex link by crossing a RIR rooster with a Delaware hen. Odds are it will be a good egg layer. But if you take a Delaware rooster and cross it with a RIR hen from the same flocks, you will not get a sex link but it should be just as good at laying eggs. The reason the sex links are so popular is not just because they make such good egg layers. It is because they make good egg layers and the chicks can easily be sexed at hatch.

If your Cochin/Maran crosses are good egg layers, that RIR rooster cross should give you a good egg layer. If they are not good egg layers, you should get better egg layers for that end of the cross to breed with the RIR.

Experince has shown that this mix lays the very best in Alaska in winter. Hence the reason.