Sex- linked Information

[curious chickee]

Remember your eggs will probably be green. I make black sex link EE, with my blue wheaten ameracauna over barred rock hens. They lay green eggs.

 

[Ravynscroft]

Best bet for blue sex links laying blue eggs would be Splash Ameraucana over Cream Legbar...

 

[SunnySideUpGUAM]

awesome thanks!

 

[curious chickee]

Best bet for blue sex links laying blue eggs would be Splash Ameraucana over Cream Legbar...

Yes, that would give you sex links and keep the eggs blue

 

[Ravynscroft]

Yes, that would give you sex links and keep the eggs blue

For green/khaki/olive sex links I would go with a Blue Copper or Splash Copper Marans over Cream Legbar too...

 

[dheltzel]

Best bet for blue sex links laying blue eggs would be Splash Ameraucana over Cream Legbar...

You will certainly get blue chicks, but I bet they will be hard to impossible to sex at hatch. I produced blue sexlinks with several breeds and they are far harder to sex than black sexlinks. I don't think you can distinguish the white from the blue well enough to be confident in the sexing.

 

[Ravynscroft]

You will certainly get blue chicks, but I bet they will be hard to impossible to sex at hatch. I produced blue sexlinks with several breeds and they are far harder to sex than black sexlinks. I don't think you can distinguish the white from the blue well enough to be confident in the sexing.

True, I forgot the blue does make it harder to see with some...

 

[SunnySideUpGUAM]

You will certainly get blue chicks, but I bet they will be hard to impossible to sex at hatch. I produced blue sexlinks with several breeds and they are far harder to sex than black sexlinks. I don't think you can distinguish the white from the blue well enough to be confident in the sexing.

So which breeds do you suggest crossing so that sexing offspring will be more obvious?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I must be missing something here. If you have or can get a hold of Cream Legbar or any Legbar then why would you need to make sex links? Those blue egg laying birds are autosexing all unto themselves. Crossing with another breed is counter productive.

 

[dheltzel]

I think the idea is a blue hen that lays blue eggs. That is certainly easy enough, but sexing them as chicks is the trick. The only way I think this will work reliably is to use feather sexing hybrids, since the color-based sexlinks have their down colors changed enough when the blue is added that they are no longer sexable.

My current cross, California Grey x Black Ameraucana, sexes easily via headspots and barring on the first feathers, but making them blue with a blue or splash Ameraucana roo makes them much harder to sex. I have found some with distinct headspots in the blue chicks, therefore the others should be pullets, but the numbers don't add up to 50% roos, so I'm not willing to say for sure they are all females.