The Secret Isa Brown/Hyline

[RooStar Chicken Gang]

You know when you get Isa Browns/Hylines from a commercial farm, they never have any roosters. The first chooks I got was Hylines and I asked a few of these places if they got roosters to go with the hens, no.. none of em do, or are willing to sell them. Yes I know there are actually Isa brown Hylines roosters but this is not the point.

The thing is where do these chickens come from? And why is it that once that Isa brown Hylines you get from these places breeds the next generation does not lay like it's mother, so Iv read. You can't breed your own Hylines like the commercial folks do apparently. Do any of you know the secret of how they create these birds?

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

They’re a hybrid of two breeds. These breeds are bred by hatcheries for egg production. Usually the father is a Rhode Island red. The mother could be a white leghorn, white rock, or a Rhode Island white. People should be able to breed red sex links (general name for hylines/ISAs) in the backyard. But, to breed ones like the hatcheries do, you’d have to have the specific lines of those parent breeds. I’m not sure if the Rhode Island whites, for instance, sold as day old chicks are of the same line as the ones used to breed red sex links. However, I don’t know too much about egg laying genetics, so they could be the same line. Though I do know that hatcheries usually use a hen with both dominant white and silver for the red sex link cross.

You don’t see any roosters because they’re all killed as day old chicks. Usually only 90% are killed because vent-sexing can only be 90% accurate. However, red sex links are sexed by color. RSLs should have 100% accuracy in terms of sexing (unless there’s a mistake as in straight run sold as sexed pullets) because the males hatch with silver (white) down and the females hatch with gold (red) down.

Also, the sex-linking trait of RSLs doesn’t breed true. It must be a red (gold) rooster x silver hen. That creates silver/gold split roosters and red (gold) hens. When RSL hens and roosters are crossed together, their offspring will not be sex-linked and then their chicks will only be able to be sexed at a 90% accuracy rate (if using vent-sexing).

 

[RooStar Chicken Gang]

Informative post @RoostersAreAwesome

 

[Boyblue]

Informative post @RoostersAreAwesome

Having worked in a commercial egg farm, I can tell you that sometimes roosters get through... And they all tend to be pure white in colour.... Nothing like the hens.

 

[Egg Champion]

You know when you get Isa Browns/Hylines from a commercial farm, they never have any roosters. The first chooks I got was Hylines and I asked a few of these places if they got roosters to go with the hens, no.. none of em do, or are willing to sell them. Yes I know there are actually Isa brown Hylines roosters but this is not the point.

The thing is where do these chickens come from? And why is it that once that Isa brown Hylines you get from these places breeds the next generation does not lay like it's mother, so Iv read. You can't breed your own Hylines like the commercial folks do apparently. Do any of you know the secret of how they create these birds?

Both breeds are trade secrets. ISA is actually a breed from France that has a patent. The original cross is never shared. And you can not replicate them in your next generation. I hatched my own for many years, you get all kinds of colors and they do not lay as well. The only way you can get them is to buy them . The hatching eggs are regulated to specific breeders. Hatched and sold. ISA originate in France and Hi-Line browns originate from a breeder in Iowa, actually 2 separate breeds.