need help with golden sex-link info

[lablover]

I've searched everywhere on this site for GSL info, and have found very different answers.

Is it true that you can tell what sex that are at a day old by their color? Is that only true for when they are that young?

I have 2 GSL chicks that came from a store. The previous owner dyed them for Easter, but I think that they got them out of a brooder that had all yellow chicks.

Here they are. They do have some reddish tint coming in through the dye on their backs. The wings were pretty much white, but now there is some brown/red coming in near their shoulders.

 

[FLITZ]

green ones are usually hens.

 

[sourland]

green ones are usually hens.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

The reds white leakage will be female and whites (yellow chicks) with red leakage will be males. Gold sex links, Comets and Red sex link are basically the same only varying by hatchery and that particular hatchery parentage.

Were they sold to you as females? They do have red leakage but with all the dye it's hard to say what sex. The thing with dyed Easter chicks is typically the males are dyed to get rid of them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

One reason you get different answers is that Gold Sex Links can be a lot of different things. There is no standard as to what breeds are crossed to make them. Gold Sex Link is just a marketing name. It really does not tell you anything about their parents. With different breeds as parents they can be different.

The ability to sex them at hatch is based on down color. There is a correlation between down color and feather color, but the genes that are used at hatch to sex them are about the down color. It depends on what breeds are actually used to make them as to how hard it I to tell the males from the females, but for the crosses the hatcheries use, it is pretty clear cut. The yellow ones are males and the reddish ones are female. Since you are talking about gold sex links and not red sex links, it is possible the rooster used was not that dark a red, so his daughters may be pretty close to yellow and not rally that dark red. If you see the males and females side by side the difference should be pretty clear, but if you see the females by themselves, you may not be clear.

I’ll mention again that depending in the breeds used, the difference in down color may be pretty difficult to see. There may not be much difference in color or it may just be on one body area.

From what I see in those photos, I’m pretty sure what you have are females with the feathers coming in that red. Males’ feathers would be white. Not reddish. If you want females, I think you are OK.

 

[goldchicks]

Goodness reading all this worries me now. My city does not allow us to have roosters. I have purchased golden sex link from my local farm supply store. I was all ready to get Americanas but they were sold out.

 

[Ridgerunner]

With the red I see on those chicks, I think you will be fine.

 

[FLITZ]

So as a second generation sex link my yellow ones may still be hens. Or am I mistaken

 

[lablover]

One reason you get different answers is that Gold Sex Links can be a lot of different things. There is no standard as to what breeds are crossed to make them. Gold Sex Link is just a marketing name. It really does not tell you anything about their parents. With different breeds as parents they can be different.
The ability to sex them at hatch is based on down color. There is a correlation between down color and feather color, but the genes that are used at hatch to sex them are about the down color. It depends on what breeds are actually used to make them as to how hard it I to tell the males from the females, but for the crosses the hatcheries use, it is pretty clear cut. The yellow ones are males and the reddish ones are female. Since you are talking about gold sex links and not red sex links, it is possible the rooster used was not that dark a red, so his daughters may be pretty close to yellow and not rally that dark red. If you see the males and females side by side the difference should be pretty clear, but if you see the females by themselves, you may not be clear.
I’ll mention again that depending in the breeds used, the difference in down color may be pretty difficult to see. There may not be much difference in color or it may just be on one body area.
From what I see in those photos, I’m pretty sure what you have are females with the feathers coming in that red. Males’ feathers would be white. Not reddish. If you want females, I think you are OK.

Thank you!!

Yes, I do want females!

The store owner said that the gold sex links were from a RIRx RIW. Not sure which was the rooster and which was the hen.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I had some roosters from that cross I raised for meat. They did not have any red on them at all. If that is the cross actually used, you really should be OK.

The RIR was the rooster. The RIW was the hen.