The wonderful Red Sexlink

[TheTwoRoos]

I haven't been a whole lot of talk on them so I thought I would share some of my thoughts.

Great breed. For egg laying and make good pets. Good foragers and occasionally get broody. Very tough.The Rhode Island Red really shows in them.

Some Red sexlinks could probably be used for MMa cage fighting's they are so mean. My 3 hens cannot stand their reflection in the mirror, and just have to show their Dominate side.

If my hens were not raised as chicks and brought in as intruders I'm pretty for sure they would be my lead hens.

Anyone else have anything to say?

 

[Blackberry18]

They are certainly very friendly and excellent layers. I had both Red Sex-Links and Black Sex-Links a few years ago - the last couple died last year due to tapeworm - but they were beautiful birds. Planning to get more this year along with some ducklings.

 

[prez6]

I have red that when you breed two red sex links that your won't be able to tell the gender by the color. Is this true and if so what color will they be and will they still have good egg laying qualities? Thanks.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

They will not be Red Sex Links. No idea what colors or what egg laying qualities they will have, never have done it.

 

[donrae]

I have red that when you breed two red sex links that your won't be able to tell the gender by the color. Is this true and if so what color will they be and will they still have good egg laying qualities? Thanks.

That is true. Sex linkage is a one time cross.

Breeding sex links to each other still gives nice birds that have a good rate of lay, though. You get mostly red and white birds, both genders are usually multi-colored.

We had a member here years ago who bred hatchery red sex links down through the third generation. I believe he said they lost a bit of production overall, but still were very good layers. Just not as stellar as the parent stock. Seems as he bred them he wound up with more white hens, if I recall correctly. He was happy with them, just decided to go another route for breeding projects.

 

[Blackberry18]

I have red that when you breed two red sex links that your won't be able to tell the gender by the color. Is this true and if so what color will they be and will they still have good egg laying qualities? Thanks.

No, a Red Sex-Link is a cross between a red gene male and a silver gene hen. The males the silver gene (and are white with some red), while the females get the red gene (are are red with white underparts). Only that red gene - white gene combination of the male and female can make the chicks sex-linked. If you breed two Sex-Links together, you will not get the same results, though I've never seen a picture of what you'd get.

Commercial Red Sex-Links (usually a cross between a Rhode Island Red male and Delaware female) have been bred to be very good layers of brown eggs. Mine certainly were. However, Sex-Links can lay whatever color eggs you want them too based on the cross.