What exactly are Sex-Link chickens?

[chickenman98]

Quote:
i tried it

 

[Mainexile]

Sorry for my ignorance on this but I read through this thread and am just as confused about sexlinks as I was to start with. I'm not a geneticist and don't have a degree in biology.

For instance, Rhode Runner said:
"All chickens are genetically either silver or gold. If a gold cockerel is covering silver pullets. The progeny can all be sexed at day old. The chicks with silver down will be cockerels and the chicks with gold down will be pullets."

Silver or Gold? If that's not cryptic I don't know what is. And, how do you know the chicks with silver down are cockerels, etc? I have 14 peeps, two days old, that have an Australorp cockerel with Buff Orpington and Gold Laced Wyandotte pullets. Result, lovely little peeps of varying colors and markings but ask me which are which and I'll just tell you "I have no idea!" They look like baby chicks to me.

Obviously, I'm a bit frustrated...sorry. Does anyone know where I can read up on this? Is there a "Sexlink Chickens for Dummies" book out there somewhere?