Sex Link question

[cybercat]

Hmm interesting. As I was already planning on a heritage breed for my main flock the thought of making my own sex links was for those that wanted to buy local but only pullets as there would be no way to sex my heritage flock as day olds. I have a use for the males and if I do not sell all the pullets I can sell the eggs. But if I could find a heritage breed that I can sex earlier than the one I wish to keep, I would go that way instead or also. I have space so not worried about that too much. LOL

 

[Krys109uk]

There might have been confusion of terms. I don't know what they sell at hatcheries. ......And maybe it's me that's confused by the terms.

A home bred sex linked cross is not going to ay as many eggs as a commercial hybrid. The poultry industry put millions of pound/dollars whatever currency into research into developing chickens. Annual egg laying numbers have increased the maximum size of egg from the smallest bird, eating the least amount of food have been improved.....there's big money in chickens......these little egg laying machines average egg production numbers which easily outmatch home bred sex linked first crosses. Possibly the difference in annual egg numbers would not be noticed by the private individual keeping a few chickens for eggs.
The egg layers, prior to commercial hybrids, used to lay about 240 eggs pa, if my memory serves.....I'm sure one can find current laying averages for the commercial hybrids online.

 

[orcasislandchickens]

Breeds you can sex at birth, in addition to the Barred Rock and the Dominique (I think) are the Welsummer and the Golden Cuckoo Marans (well the regular cuckoo too, but I thought the golden ones farmer's wife had were about the prettiest chickens I'd ever seen). Both the GC Marans and the welsummer lay a lovely dark brown egg. The Welsummer lays a terracotta one with small dark spots. Salmon Faverolles can be sexed easily also I think, although they are not an especially hardy breed and maybe not so good to eat.

There is some practice required I believe with all of these, as opposed to the crossbred sexlinks but if you own and breed them I think you'd get pretty good.

 

[Krys109uk]

There are also the autosexing breeds.

 

[digitS']

How does one sex a Barred Rock at hatch?

Steve
edited to ask: And, are the autosexing breeds in the US?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

By hte spot on its head.

 

[digitS']

Both sexes of newly hatched BR chicks have white spots on the top of their heads.

S'

 

[Fay at Frizzled Feathers]

BR chick sexing

hens will have more of a white with black stripes and the cockeral has black with white stripes, long splotchy headspot.

hens spot on head is more sperical .

 

[Kim_NC]

The BR males have a larger, more irregular spot on their head as day olds.

It's true the hatcheries have spent lots of time and money to develop specialty lines for their hybrid sexlink layers.

However as a small grower, you can develop sexlinks that are close. To do that, you need to track your hens and hatch only eggs from the best layers.

Always cull the lesser layers from your breeding stock. This is the main reason 'homegrown sexlinks' don't compare. You can't just let them breed willy-nilly. It requires selection, breeding the best, etc.

If you control the breeding program, I think you'll find the results quite good.

 

[hooksetz]

I've got 1 sex link hen here, she was bred and born here,as well. And I can't remember when she hasn't layed. She throws really close to 365 eggs a year, and alot larger than her momma, plus she looks exactly like the "black star" photo on the Murray Mcmurray web-site.

How is it hatcheries are breeding some super breed sex-links when the breed itself will never breed true once initially formed is my question to you people?

I've not spent millions making my layers, just a mishap in genetics.