what are the cons of having sex link chickens?

[Wnunezcruz]

I dont find anything wrong with the breed

 

[eggdd]

welsummers are sexable at birth?

 

[lotzahenz]

They won't breed true, only one I can think of. Love them for laying light brown eggs.

 

[liv4fun]

interesting thread.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Quote:
The popular hatchery breeds that they crank out for their own sales and to re-sell at feed stores, chain rural stores, etc, just about HAVE to be as Speckledhen reports. Why? Because the parent stock only makes money for the breeders contracted to the hatcheries to provide eggs, or the hatcheries own breeding stock when they are cranking out eggs to be hatched. Over time, through selective breeding, the weaker layer is not going to be preferred to the higher output layer. This may also explain why hatchery chicks so often are far from type in conformation, leg color, body shape, feather coloration, etc. When the profit motive is involved, higher and higher production is too tempting. This is not to say that thousands of people here on BYC could not testify to the long lived hatchery stock they own. I have mostly hatchery stock myself and because I do, I know of the weaknesses.

But again, one could take a prized, heritage RIR rooster and put it over a prized, heritage SOP Barred Rock hen and makes Black Sex Links, or put the RIR over a prized Delaware and make Red Sex Links. No doubt, these would be great, healthy birds. But THAT isn't what one is likely to get from a hatchery, and that pretty much goes without saying.

 

[Illia]

Quote:
Hit it right on.

But don't take offense to it though. I too have hatchery stock, have 'em because they were my first hens since moving to this state, and they're still alive, laying, and admittedly a couple of them are VERY good contributors to a non-hatchery/show breeding program.

 

[speckledhen]

I would buy Brahmas from the same hatchery again, just not the Wyandottes, BRs, Buff Orps or BRs or any other production type birds you'd buy for egg production. Never liked the sex links anyway, looks-wise, but till my hens developed the reproductive issues, they were all fabulous layers, most of them an egg a day with rare skipped days. Sex links don't lay better than that.