Need Help! 1st time loving owner - Can you breed/sex these two chicks and help me out?

[Saryit]

I have had these two beauties for 5 and a half weeks now, and I am not sure what breed of chicken they are. Their names are Sandy and Sunny (Sunny I am afraid is maybe a rooster!) and I would greatly appreciate any advice/wisdom on how to best care for whatever breed of chicken they are (that you guys can tell me haha)
Here they are in their awkward teen years

and here they are as chicks

 

[BlueCamas]

They look like Black Sex Link pullets to me

 

[ramirezframing]

they look like black sexlinks which would make them both hens

 

[mother o' chicks72]

I agree. If they were any other kind of chicken I would think they might be roos, so I understand where you are coming from. But as they appear to be black sex-links the color indicates they are girls

 

[Saryit]

Ok so I am new to this. What exactly does black sex-linked mean? Is that the breed or more of an indication as to the fact that if they are black then they are pullets (aka the black colored gene is on the X chromosome?)

 

[BlueCamas]

That's a breed, pullets are black w/ red necks and cockerels are barred. You can sex hem at hatch.

 

[mother o' chicks72]

Black sex-links are a hybrid where the parents have been bred to produce offspring that can be sexed at hatch by color. Females will be all black as chicks and when they feather in either remain all black or be mainly black with some gold/brown. Males would be black with a white spot on their heads as chicks and then feather in black and white.

 

[Saryit]

Thanks a lot! I can't find any information on them though in the breed section of the BYC website though. How are Black Sex Linked Chickens at laying eggs? Are they tempermental? Loud? Whats the lowdown on the BSL?

 

[mother o' chicks72]

I haven't actually had a sex-link, but from what I understand they are good layers and are hardy birds. As far as temperament I think they're pretty average.

 

[Indigosands]

aw, def. black sexlinks. Mine are sweeties.