Trying to figure out if I have a male sex-link from McMurray (Black Star). What two breeds do they breed? This guy has a blue-ish, green-ish patch of feathers...
Murray McMurray crosses Rhode Island Red roosters with Barred Rock hens to produce their Black Sex Links and markets them under the label Black Stars. If your bird is indeed a Black Sex Link, then it is definitely a rooster as BSL hens are black with some reddish feathers around the neck area. However, the barring on this bird looks awful clean and I don't see any sign of reddish feathers appearing in the saddle or wing area, so it is possible that a Barred Rock chick was accidentally mixed in with the Black Sex Link male chicks as the two look alike when they are chicks. I know of at least one other BYC member to which this has happened.
No, this could be just a Barred Rock--they're from a mixed bag at McMurray. I have other Barred Rocks as well, but only two with this iridescent greenish/blue in their feathers...
Did you ever find out if this was a rooster or pullet? I have the same one. It's suuposed to be a pullet.. got from a batch of black sex link hens.
