what are the cons of having sex link chickens?

[hockmangirl]

Quote:
Wow! I am so sorry that you had this experience!

But, I would have to disagree. I have four sex-links and they are really sweet/cuddly chickens both with me (& my family) and with my nine other chickens. I think it just depends on the chickens.

I would have to agree with several of the other posts above and say the only "con" I could think of would be the inability to breed them, for more. Although, I don't breed for chicks anyway, so not an issue for me.

 

[jlmrazek]

Quote:
I don't think sex linked traits cause agression. I've had your typical RIR and Wite leghorn corss before and she acted like any other hen.

Some pure breeds are sexable at birth like barred rocks, welsummers and my Norwegian Jaerhons. My Jearhons are very calm and friendly.

sup

 

[jmc]

actually, regarding the above about the 'reproductive/laying issues' of hatchery birds:

I know lots of people who have raised chickens for decades and decades and decades, and have never had ANY issues with them dropping dead from internal laying etc, etc.

There are numerous massive overgeneralizations made about hatchery birds on this board; these must be taken--all of them--with a grain of salt.

HOWEVER, this doesn't mean--obviously--that some folks haven't had bad luck in the past.

Just be oh so careful of the sweeping generalizations that abound on BYC contra hatchery birds (and those who keep them).

 

[Roosterfry]

Quote:
X2! A lot of hatchery stock birds are just fine. I would imagine that most hatcheries have good quality birds. For example I have a silkie pullet from idea. She has ALL the standards and fluffiness as with any show type silkies I have seen but yet on BYC I saw someone railing Ideal and their "bad stock of silkies" I totally disagree. My silkie hen is nice and laid pretty decent her first year (between broody spells) . Bright blue ear lobes, black skin, solid white all silkie fluff and feathers legs, five toes on each foot. Heavy puffs on face and head. She was so fluffy I even had to trim a lil fluff away from her eyes to help her see better!

 

[cackler]

I have several red sexlinks and actually they are the most friendly chickens to people that I have. They follow me around and let me pick them up. Perhaps it's just these individuals but frankly I was thinking of getting some more in the Spring simply because they are sort of like a pet - not sure of the laying capacity - everyone has slowed down it seems at this point.

 

[jujuschicks]

I have five black sex link hens and two barred rock hens. They are all sweet as can be and I can carry them all around...no problem. At 20 months old they are all laying well. I see no difference between the sex links and the barred rocks in that regard. I only have hens so I am obviously not going to worry about breeding chickens for chicks. These are my first chickens and they have been wonderful chickens for a beginner like me. Each one looks different than the other so I can easily keep an eye on and keep track of them. Mine are definitely pets who lay eggs and they will live all their lives with me I would have to say that their friendliness and calm personality are their best traits. They will even do tricks , like ringing a bell for treats. What more could a girl ask for!!! LOL!!!!

 

[Fred's Hens]

Some breeds are auto sexing, or able to be sexed at hatch. Use the right colors of Rooster over Hen and you can "make" any number of different sexlinks. All of which is to say this. Of which sexlink is the OP inquiring?

Asking about cons of sexlinks is much too imprecise a question to answer, really. People, for some reason, seem to immediately assume a sexlink to be some kind of high laying, red sexlink. People perhaps also assume too quickly that saying Red Sex Link refers to one particular kind of bird, when, in actuality, there are so many possibilities, so many recipes used, so many different strains that even generalities even about the RSLs just are not all that helpful. Sorry.

 

[speckledhen]

The worst generalization, IMO, about sex links is that they lay better than any other production type bird. They don't lay more than one egg per day.

The most common hatchery birds that folks start with seem to be the production RIRs, the Plymouth Rocks, the Buff Orpingtons and the Wyandottes, in addition to sex links. I've been to many feed stores who get their shipments in from different hatcheries and those are the ones they all seem to get; some get only those and no others. Most of those lay as well as a hatchery sex link, in my experience.

My original flock was also made up of those four breeds I mentioned. To date, all except one of those original hens has died of the reproductive malfunction of internal laying; the last one died just this week of ovarian carcinoma, plus internal laying as a side issue. In addition, a SLW hen who was from the same hatchery, but a couple of years younger (hence, not in the same batch as the first group), also died with egg yolk peritonitis. ALL of my original hens, before developing reproductive issues, laid as well as any sex link hen, so I don't see any advantage to a hybrid layer, personally.

I agree that not all hatchery stock is created equal, nor are all sex links, as Fred's Hens said. However, you can see from the above paragraph why I do hold to my statement that most common hatchery production breeds are prone to reproductive issues. Hatcheries do not breed for longevity (good grief, why would they? Cuts into the business). My Brahmas, which I do not consider production layers, in that they are not the first breed you think of for your "egg a day" layers, are also from the same hatchery. Those two hens are going on 5 years old and so far, no issues with them, so I would buy Brahmas from that hatchery again, just not the other breeds I've had from them in the past. Perhaps the genetics of the Brahma lines they have are just somewhat better, who knows?

 

[catdaddyfro]

Fred's Hens :

Some breeds are auto sexing, or able to be sexed at hatch. Use the right colors of Rooster over Hen and you can "make" any number of different sexlinks. All of which is to say this. Of which sexlink is the OP inquiring?

Asking about cons of sexlinks is much too imprecise a question to answer, really. People, for some reason, seem to immediately assume a sexlink to be some kind of high laying, red sexlink. People perhaps also assume too quickly that saying Red Sex Link refers to one particular kind of bird, when, in actuality, there are so many possibilities, so many recipes used, so many different strains that even generalities even about the RSLs just are not all that helpful. Sorry.

There ya go you just hit the nail square on the head there Fred

The OP's ? is way far out there for a direct answer, needs to be more discreet like (what are the cons of <for example only> Red star sexlinks or any other one of the hundreds or possibly thousands of combinations that would be sex-linked crosses).

Jeff​

 

[kcfuerst]

I have 2 hatchery black sexlinks from Belt hatchery in Fresno, CA. They are fabulously friendly, gorgeous and fit. One has raised a brood of chicks (not her own) two years in a row and protects them fiercely from the rest of the flock until they are big enough to fend for themselves. I have not found either of them to be aggressive toward any other birds. At the moment, both a going through a heavy molt and not laying. Neither lays more or less than any of my other breeds of hatchery chicks which include Delaware, Barred Rock RIR, and four little Golden Sexlink pullets ready to lay any moment. The Sexlinks are my favorite.