Red and White Sex Link gene

[number1fishroom]

I was reading that if you put a red cock on white hens there is a sex link the first generation of chicks (hens are red and cock are whitish). They are different colored at hatching. I was wondering if buff is considered a red gene? If I put a buff orpington male on white orpington hens will they have the sex link too. Are specked sussex considered red??

 

[Ridgerunner]

Tadkerson's first post in this thread gives great information on how to make a sex link. I think you will find it real interesting.

http//www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=261208

The color white is not totally the issue. The hen has to have a Silver gene and the male needs to be pure for Gold. There are two other genes (dominant and non-dominant white) that can confuse it a bit on how well you can see the sex link in the chicks. The Silver gene does not have to be present to get a white chicken. The White Orpington is solid white, so one of these white genes is present in her, but I do not know if Silver is also present in a White Orpington. They do not make Tadkerson's list, but that list is not necessarily all-inclusive.

For your specific questions. I do not know if the White Orpington hen has the Silver gene so I do not know if she can be used to make a red sex link.

A Buff Orpington male does have the gold gene. He can be used to make a red sex link. The chicks are going to be reddish as opposed to darker red, so you may need to have male and female chicks from this match next to each other to be able to tell them apart, especially if you do not have much experience.

The Speckled Sussex do have the gold gene and will make a red sex link. I crossed a Speckled Sussex rooster with a Delaware hen and made these sex links. The three yellow ones are sex link males. One or two of the red ones are sex link pullets, but I had some other red ones in there so I am not sure which were actually the sex link pullets.