Sex Link Question

[ArizonaNessa]

Just a couple of quick simple questions here. Is there a difference in Red sex links and red star sex links and is there a difference in golden comet sex links and golden sex links. I have been getting varied answers and it was my understanding that all four of these breeds are each their own. Can someone please clarify for me? Thanks

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Red or gold sex-links are generic names for the type of sex-linked cross. Red Star and Golden Comet are tradenames for specific crosses by specific hatceries.

 

[ArizonaNessa]

So red and gold are the same and red star and golden comet are on their own? The main reason I want to know is because the hatchery that I use sell them all separately and if its all the same dang bird then it would sure make my ordering easier just to order one name instead of four. I have been reading about what crosses with what to create a certain thing but I am still learning this part.

This is what I read and wrote down cause I like to know as much as I can. Please correct me if its wrong.

Black SL = RIR roo X barred rock hen
Brown SL = RIR roo X white rock hen
Gold SL = RIR roos X RIW hen
Red SL = RIR roo X Delaware hen
Cinnamon Queen SL = New hampshire roo X silver laced wyandotte hen
Indian River SL = Delaware Roo X New hampshire hen

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

No, Red Star is one specific type of red sex-link cross; Golden Comet is a specific gold-sex-link cross. I am pretty sure you can only get Red Stars from one specific hatchery--even the same cross by another hatchery would carry a different name.

The reality is that they are both based upon the silver/gold gene. However I believe the ones labeled "gold" actually carry the dilute gene (Di) that turns gold into buff. I don't have sex-links, so while I understand how they are created, I am not specifically familiar with the nuances between one cross and another.

 

[ArizonaNessa]

Thanks I think I understand. What you are saying is the same as coca cola can be made by anyone it just can't be called coca cola. So if you cross the birds and make red stars you can call them that but if I decided to cross the same two birds I have to call them something else. I am starting to think I need to read more about genetics cause all the variations get me very confused.

 

[Krys109uk]

It might not actually be exactly the same breeds involved in the background of the named birds. But sex links using the same sex linked gene.

 

[ArizonaNessa]

Good thing I just like raising chickens instead of being some sort of genetic scientist.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

It is like your example of cola: that produces by hte Cocoa Cola Bottling company can be called Cocoa Cola; even if you somehow ended up with the exact same secret recipe for Cocoa Cola, you couldn't call it that.

A red or gold sex-link is made using the S gene. It is a sex-linked gene,meaning that males have two copies but females can only have one copy.

If this line portrays the Z chromosome:
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and this one protrays the W chromosome:
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you will notice that one is longer than the other.

Male birds have two Z chromosomes;
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female birds have one Z and one W chromosome.
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The genes located at the end of the Z chromsome are not paired on the W chromosome. While any of these genes can be used to create a sex-linked bird, many of them don't lend themselves to creating a useful sex-linked trait for identifying gender at hatch. A trait such as eye colour doesn't completely develop until the bird is sufficiently old that it is an impractical use of sex-linking; a trait that inhibits brown eggs is equally impractical.

Two genes that are useful are silver/gold and barring. Silver/gold is used for red sex-links and barring is used for black sex-links.

Hens determine gender of their offspring. They give a Z chromosome to their sons and a W chromosome to their daughters. Roosters give a Z chromosome to all their offspring.

 

[ArizonaNessa]

Well seems like its just like human genetics but for some strange reason when I attempted to apply that thinking to animals it would always make me crazy. Thank you so much for taking time to explain it that way.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Well, with mammals, papa determines gender of offspring--there's one difference