McMurray Black Sex Link--Barred Rock & What?

[sarahandbray]

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...

 

[Michael OShay]

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.

 

[sarahandbray]

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...

 

[mizsmith]

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.