Sex-linked chicks?

[DuckGirl77]

Hi, I am considering hatching some eggs next year, but I need sex-linked chicks because I need to get rid of the cockerels right away so I don't get attached to them. I have a rooster that is supposed to be an Araucana, but is actually an EE (he has a tail and no beard or anything like that.) The hens I could use are Barred Rocks, RIRs, another "Araucana" (EE), and a Buff Orpington. The problem I have is the rooster. If EEs are a mix, would it be possible to get sex-linked chicks? He is reddish-orange, but two other roosters I had from the same hatchery were black/grey and grey. I think the grey was the closest of all of them to a real Araucana. I don't remember if he had a tail, and he had a big beard and ear tufts. We called him jokingly "Santa Claus." The black rooster had similar coloring to my EE hen. If three different roosters all from the same hatchery and supposedly all of the same breed had different coloring, can I trust his colors, so to speak?
If the rooster isn't a problem, which hens could I breed him with to make sex-linked chicks and what would differentiate cockerels from pullets?
Thanks so much.

 

[dekel18042]

Hi, I am considering hatching some eggs next year, but I need sex-linked chicks because I need to get rid of the cockerels right away so I don't get attached to them. I have a rooster that is supposed to be an Araucana, but is actually an EE (he has a tail and no beard or anything like that.) The hens I could use are Barred Rocks, RIRs, another "Araucana" (EE), and a Buff Orpington. The problem I have is the rooster. If EEs are a mix, would it be possible to get sex-linked chicks? He is reddish-orange, but two other roosters I had from the same hatchery were black/grey and grey. I think the grey was the closest of all of them to a real Araucana. I don't remember if he had a tail, and he had a big beard and ear tufts. We called him jokingly "Santa Claus." The black rooster had similar coloring to my EE hen. If three different roosters all from the same hatchery and supposedly all of the same breed had different coloring, can I trust his colors, so to speak?
If the rooster isn't a problem, which hens could I breed him with to make sex-linked chicks and what would differentiate cockerels from pullets?
Thanks so much.

I believe if you hatched your barred rocks' eggs you would get sex links. The girls would be a solid color while the boys would be barred which means when they hatched the boys should have a yellow or white dot on their heads. This should work as long as your rooster is non barred.

 

[DuckGirl77]

I believe if you hatched your barred rocks' eggs you would get sex links. The girls would be a solid color while the boys would be barred which means when they hatched the boys should have a yellow or white dot on their heads. This should work as long as your rooster is non barred.

Cool, thanks! I'll have to try it and see if it works! Thanks

 

[DuckGirl77]

Would an Orpington/"Araucana"(EE) cross be sex-linked? I know the EE chicks have some darker markings, is it possible that the darker markings would show up on the hens and the roosters would be lighter?

 

[dekel18042]

Would an Orpington/"Araucana"(EE) cross be sex-linked? I know the EE chicks have some darker markings, is it possible that the darker markings would show up on the hens and the roosters would be lighter?

Probably not. I'm just learning this myself. There may be other ways but the two I'm learning are the barred/non barred and the silver/non silver gene.

 

[dheltzel]

Would an Orpington/"Araucana"(EE) cross be sex-linked? I know the EE chicks have some darker markings, is it possible that the darker markings would show up on the hens and the roosters would be lighter?

That won't work reliably, if at all. Your best bet is the barred rocks to make black sexlinks. The head spots can be tricky to discern, but if you wait a few days and check their primary feathers, you will see white barring on the males and the females will be solid color, without barring. The chicks will probably be black in color, but I had a wheaten Ameraucana with barred hens that produced brown chicks. They were also sexable by barring, but the head spots weren't reliable.

 

[DuckGirl77]

Probably not. I'm just learning this myself. There may be other ways but the two I'm learning are the barred/non barred and the silver/non silver gene.

That won't work reliably, if at all. Your best bet is the barred rocks to make black sexlinks. The head spots can be tricky to discern, but if you wait a few days and check their primary feathers, you will see white barring on the males and the females will be solid color, without barring. The chicks will probably be black in color, but I had a wheaten Ameraucana with barred hens that produced brown chicks. They were also sexable by barring, but the head spots weren't reliable.

OK thanks! I'll try the barred rock mix if I can find someone to take all the cockerels!