Rhode Island Red rooster and Barred Rock Hen- What would you get?

[HammsPoultry]

I want to breed for sex-link chickens and I've read and heard before that you can get black sex-link like by having a Rhode Island Red rooster and Barred Rock Hen mix. Any knowledge will help! thanks!

 

[junebuggena]

That's the typical cross used by hatcheries for black sexlinks. Your chicks would be typical black sexlinks. Cockerels will have a white spot in the back of the head. Pullets will be black without the white head spot. The pullets will feather in with the typical gold neck/chest and be mostly black all over.

 

[Michael OShay]

That's the typical cross used by hatcheries for black sexlinks. Your chicks would be typical black sexlinks. Cockerels will have a white spot in the back of the head. Pullets will be black without the white head spot. The pullets will feather in with the typical gold neck/chest and be mostly black all over.

I agree. Black Sex Links are very friendly and hardy egg laying machines, outlaying either parent breed. It's one of the interesting quirks of hybridization. I raised BSLs for years (along with dozens of other breeds and hybrids), and they have been my best layers, consistently churning out more than 300 large, brown eggs per hen per year with double yolks not being uncommon.