tell me about BSL please

[chkinut]

hi everyone, i was gonna get a BSL or 2 this spring, but after reading little bits here and there on BYC i'm nervous about it now. i've read (very little about this actually) but i've read that they are prone to getting egg bound and that they are great layers for the 1st year and then taper off dramatically. is this true?

 

[big medicine]

Several years back I went to a seminar pertaining to public speaking, and interacting with the media. One of the points they stressed was to avoid using abbreviations or industry slang. Scientific and medical professionals were the worst at doing this.

What I'm trying to say is, by saving a few seconds to type out a couple words, and making readers try to decipher your question, I suspect you might be limiting your responce pool.

 

[Highlander]

I wasn't crazy about my black sex links. I had both the reds and the blacks and i would choose the reds every time. I found the blacks to be much more skittish and generally unfriendly ( although i am not a chicken cuddler by nature). And I have found that the reds were better layers than the black. The blacks were prettier though.

Just my personal exerience. Hope it helps.

 

[Fred's Hens]

This question, in various permutations and variations, has been asked many, many times here of late.

I've raised and kept a bunch of Black Sex Links. Now, what MOST people mean by that is the BarredRock/Rhode Island Red type, as there are other ways to make a sex link in black.

Here is the reality. Any chicken that has been bred for super high production is going to slide after two years of laying. Hens only have so many ovum buds. The Rock half of the bloodline equation, in my experience, makes them super cold weather hardy. They lay well through winter. The do NOT lay quite the nosebleed high number that the Red hybrids do, but do lay very well.

The Rock blood line also makes these Blacks larger birds. They are a pound larger. This means a couple of things. First, they eat more to sustain that weight. The good news, imho, is that their greater size, coupled less propensity for laying gigantic eggs, means they are somewhat less likely to have issues such as prolapse.

They are quieter in the coop, less competitive and go about their business. If you want a good, solid egg layer and still want a fair carcass at the end of lay, the offer a good choice.

 

[The Chicken People]

Good thing its a chicken forum and we understand BSL! BLACK SEX LINK is what I think you are referring to and I have 9 of 'em and they are great layers even during this awful snowy season! I get eggs year round and they are going to be three years old this Spring! I plan to replace some of my other layers with more BSL and RSL! Good Luck with your decision!

 

[Casey76]

Actually, one of the most difficult things I've found on this forum is the number of abbreviations used for colours and breeds of chicken. Most of the I can guess, but some of them I havent got a clue!

 

[big medicine]

Black sex link. And here I was trying to make that fit any breed and variety I had heard of, and not getting any. I was trying Langshans, leghorns, silkies, seibrites, sussex, in black, blue, buff.

 

[Drk_Wlf]

Quote:
I started with red sex links and I HATED THEM!!!! I will never get a hybrid breed again. Go with some nice Black Australorps they produce nearly as well, are a lot calmer, and I have found they are less likely to peck at each other. My sex links, no matter what I do, peck obsessively at each other and most of them have bare bottoms because of it. They are free range with a large coop so it’s not a space issue, and they have black oil sun flower seeds mixed in with their food and I give them scrambled eggs on occasion, so it's not a lack of protein, and they don't have mites. They are almost 2 years now and I have also noticed a drop off in egg production, although they did lay like champs up until this winter. They layed all throughout last winter without stop though.

Plus with the aussies, they are nice and big so when its time to cull I will get a nice stew bird out of them. The red sex links are all bones, they are hardly worth processing. The aussies also have smaller combs so they do better in cold climates, which is a big plus for me. I have never had the black sex links before though, so they may be different.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Quote:
I started with red sex links and I HATED THEM!!!! I will never get a hybrid breed again. Go with some nice Black Australorps they produce nearly as well, are a lot calmer, and I have found they are less likely to peck at each other. My sex links, no matter what I do, peck obsessively at each other and most of them have bare bottoms because of it. They are free range with a large coop so it’s not a space issue, and they have black oil sun flower seeds mixed in with their food and I give them scrambled eggs on occasion, so it's not a lack of protein, and they don't have mites. They are almost 2 years now and I have also noticed a drop off in egg production, although they did lay like champs up until this winter. They layed all throughout last winter without stop though.

Plus with the aussies, they are nice and big so when its time to cull I will get a nice stew bird out of them. The red sex links are all bones, they are hardly worth processing. The aussies also have smaller combs so they do better in cold climates, which is a big plus for me. I have never had the black sex links before though, so they may be different.

Very different indeed. Describing one's experience with Reds doesn't really apply too much. The BSL is merely a cross between two typical, well known, accepted breeds; the Barred Rock and Rhode Island Red. This simply cross does not make them into some kind of frankenstein. Different strains will produce different results. Different parent stock will produce different results.

Those I have? Calm, almost boring, plump and somewhat stand offish.

 

[chkinut]

thanks everyone! and sorry for the abbreviation...yes, i did mean Black Sex Link. i just figured most of us use abbreviations here....but next time i will spell it out, at least at the beginning of my post or in the actual title of the post. i guess i'm gonna choose NOT to get one at this time since i'm trying to keep my numbers low. i already placed my order with Meyer, but maybe i can call and change it so they can add a BA (black austrolorp). i would like to try one of them, i've heard so many good things about them!