Possible Stupid Sex Link Question

[Gilbird]

I have been attempting to read up on and make sense of chicken genetics. To say I am overwhelmed is an understatement. I am going to keep plugging away, but until I get a better understanding I am hoping that someone can help me.

I have chicks hatching now in an incubator. The rooster is a Delaware and there are various breeds of hens, including red sex link. Will the chicks of the red sex link also be sex link, with the male chick being white? Or is that all thrown out the window due to Delaware rooster?

Thank you!!

 

[TheTwoRoos]

You can’t sex a sexlinks and make other sexlinks even if ones a sexlinks and it’s bred with a different breed.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Must have red rooster and some sorta white hen,heard they use Delaware hens.

 

[Gilbird]

You can’t sex a sexlinks and make other sexlinks even if ones a sexlinks and it’s bred with a different breed.

Thank you! One more thing learned I appreciate your help!

 

[alexa009]

You can breed a delaware with a rhode island red but not a sexlink. Sexlinks can be bred with other chickens but will not make a full breed, it will be considered a mix.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Actually, if you breed those two, you'll should get about 25% white chicks, which will definitely be female. You'll also get 75% cream coloured chicks, of which 1/3 should be female. I'm unsure if you'll be able to distinguish them by sight as chicks, (they should be about amberlink-colored, but I've never tried it) You should definitely be able to tell when the feathers are in.

Also, you can't use a random white hen to make sexlinks. Leghorns, for instance, carry the dominant white gene. That overwhelms any other color. The hen has to carry a silver gene and the rooster has to carry two gold genes for sexlinking to work. That makes gold hens and gold/silver roosters.

You can also use a gold hen, as long as you have a silver rooster. That makes silver hens and gold/silver roosters.

EDT: And don't worry about stupid questions. Everyone's learning new stuff everyday, and just because you're not experienced doesn't make you stupid.

I used to hate it when the professors gave me that sidewise look in class and said "that's an interesting question..."

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Should have made myself clearer,thanks syliethecochin

 

[Gilbird]

@sylviethecochin Thank you so much for the explanation! I have a million questions and a lot to learn. This batch of chicks from our mixed flock started as a trial run so I can become familiar with incubation before going to a breeder to get hatching eggs. However, it has turned into a lot more, with the realization of how much genetics goes behind so many chickens. I really appreciate your help.

 

[The Moonshiner]

There's a few different types of sex links and many different breeds that can be used.
Breeds really have no importance its all about having birds with the right genes.
I can use a gold duckwing rooster over silver duckwing hens and produce a type of red sex link. Gold vs silver.
Then take those pullets and breed them to a chocolate rooster and have chocolate sex links. Or take the cockerels and breed them to barred hens for black sex links.
Or you could breed a chocolate rooster to barred hens and produce. Non barred chocolate pullets and barred black cockerels.
A lot of options.
Sex links are always fun.

 

[oregonkat]

There's a few different types of sex links and many different breeds that can be used.
Breeds really have no importance its all about having birds with the right genes.
I can use a gold duckwing rooster over silver duckwing hens and produce a type of red sex link. Gold vs silver.
Then take those pullets and breed them to a chocolate rooster and have chocolate sex links. Or take the cockerels and breed them to barred hens for black sex links.
Or you could breed a chocolate rooster to barred hens and produce. Non barred chocolate pullets and barred black cockerels.
A lot of options.
Sex links are always fun.

@The Moonshiner we had this discussion a while ago about my BCM rooster mating with my CCL hen and producing sex linked chicks, which is exactly what I got. Two hens and two roos . Now, I also produced a sex linked chick (roo) from my BCM x Cuckoo Marans. If this roo is mated back to one of the two hens from the BCM x CCL will those chicks also be sex linked. I'm trying not to get dizzy here....