What happens when you breed a Sasso Rooster?

[Chipmunk Chicks]

We have been talking about trying our hand at various meat birds for some time, but we currently just have a laying flock of Australorps and Welsummers. A friend has offered us a rooster, which might be nice since we haven't been able to free range our birds as much as we would like, following a predator attack.

The rooster would be a Sasso Rooster (or possibly a "homegrown" white rooster of anyone's guess stock). Assuming there's no real genetic benefit to taking a beautiful white mixed breed rooster, what would happen if we were to breed the Sasso with our layers for a dual purpose terminal cross?

I feel like the Welsummer might be the most desirable cross in terms of similar coloring and nice dark, speckled eggs from the hens. I don't know how the Australorp cross would turn out, looks wise; like a mess of black, red, and possibly barred mutts??? Does that even matter?

I think the only way to get sex links is if we were to hypothetically take a couple of their Delaware (or any white / silver) hens to breed him with for the red over white/silver sex linkage. (Or they would have to go ahead and set up their own breeding pen for that, which they have a farm, they have just never intentionally bred or hatched chicks before.)

The other issue with some of these other crosses becomes logistical for me, because it's very easy to let him be out with the girls while I just check for fertility and collect only the Welsummer eggs. But if I were to introduce any Delawares or SLWs to the existing flock, their eggs would be more or less indistinguishable from my current Australorps, correct? So about the only way for *me* to get sex links, is to relegate him to a breeding pen with new (to me) white / silver birds, which is 1. A whole lot Harder and 2. Defeats the purpose of letting him range with the flock.

Any members with more experience than I have want to weigh in? I'm all ears.

[Disclaimer: Birds pictured are not my own. I'm only including the Delaware and SLW because I *think* she has both of those hens in her existing flock, so it might hypothetically be a possibility as well. ETA She has only Delawares and Welsummer hens, relevant to the conversation.]

 

[Molpet]

White birds dress out better, white pin feathers are not as visible

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

White birds dress out better, white pin feathers are not as visible

True. If she breeds her Welsummer rooster to her Delawares, she would get red hens and white meat birds. That's ideal.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I looked up Sasso and found this interesting quote about how they are meant to be raised. I wonder how you are supposed to achieve an all-vegetarian diet and let them run around in plenty of space.

SASSO breeds slow-growing chickens that are meant to be raised with fresh air, plenty of space to run around, and an all-vegetarian diet-

And the link where I found that.

https://www.watkinspoultry.com/the-sasso-chicken/

I don't see anything special about the SASSO when compared to many other dual purpose breeds when I looked at the weights at butcher age.

what would happen if we were to breed the Sasso with our layers for a dual purpose terminal cross?

I don't know how well SASSO lay eggs. Some strains of them appear to be mostly for meat though some may be OK for laying. The offspring will get egg laying traits from both parents. I don't know what kind of egg laying genetics one of those white roosters would contribute so that part of it is up in the air. If it is just for meat, use the larger rooster.

I feel like the Welsummer might be the most desirable cross in terms of similar coloring and nice dark, speckled eggs from the hens. I don't know how the Australorp cross would turn out, looks wise; like a mess of black, red, and possibly barred mutts??? Does that even matter?

Does it matter to you? Your wants and desires are what counts, not mine. Some people are very concerned about egg shell color and feather colors and patterns. Others, not really.

I don't know what will happen with one of those white roosters. Genetically there are two different ways to make an all white chicken. You cannot tell by looking which he has. You could get several different things.

That Sasso looks barred. If he is barred, the chicks with the Welsummer hens will probably be pretty similar to his appearance. With the Black Australorps you will probably get black and white barred chicks. Neither the white not Sasso boys will give you sex links with these hens.

I think the only way to get sex links is if we were to hypothetically take a couple of their Delaware (or any white / silver) hens to breed him with for the red over white/silver sex linkage. (Or they would have to go ahead and set up their own breeding pen for that, which they have a farm, they have just never intentionally bred or hatched chicks before.)

I have no idea what would happen if you used the white rooster over the Delaware or SLW. If you use the Sasso rooster over either the Delaware or SLW you should get red sex linked chicks. He has gold, both girls have silver. I don't know how easy it will be to see the differences in the down but you probably can.

The other issue with some of these other crosses becomes logistical for me, because it's very easy to let him be out with the girls while I just check for fertility and collect only the Welsummer eggs. But if I were to introduce any Delawares or SLWs to the existing flock, their eggs would be more or less indistinguishable from my current Australorps, correct?

I would think so, yes.

So about the only way for *me* to get sex links, is to relegate him to a breeding pen with new (to me) white / silver birds, which is 1. A whole lot Harder and 2. Defeats the purpose of letting him range with the flock.

Sounds right to me unless you get rid of your current hens.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

I looked up Sasso and found this interesting quote about how they are meant to be raised. I wonder how you are supposed to achieve an all-vegetarian diet and let them run around in plenty of space.

SASSO breeds slow-growing chickens that are meant to be raised with fresh air, plenty of space to run around, and an all-vegetarian diet-

And the link where I found that.

https://www.watkinspoultry.com/the-sasso-chicken/

I don't see anything special about the SASSO when compared to many other dual purpose breeds when I looked at the weights at butcher age.


I don't know how well SASSO lay eggs. Some strains of them appear to be mostly for meat though some may be OK for laying. The offspring will get egg laying traits from both parents. I don't know what kind of egg laying genetics one of those white roosters would contribute so that part of it is up in the air. If it is just for meat, use the larger rooster.


Does it matter to you? Your wants and desires are what counts, not mine. Some people are very concerned about egg shell color and feather colors and patterns. Others, not really.

I don't know what will happen with one of those white roosters. Genetically there are two different ways to make an all white chicken. You cannot tell by looking which he has. You could get several different things.

That Sasso looks barred. If he is barred, the chicks with the Welsummer hens will probably be pretty similar to his appearance. With the Black Australorps you will probably get black and white barred chicks. Neither the white not Sasso boys will give you sex links with these hens.


I have no idea what would happen if you used the white rooster over the Delaware or SLW. If you use the Sasso rooster over either the Delaware or SLW you should get red sex linked chicks. He has gold, both girls have silver. I don't know how easy it will be to see the differences in the down but you probably can.


I would think so, yes.


Sounds right to me unless you get rid of your current hens.

Thank you!!! I think unfortunately, we are not getting the rooster at this time. :/ But I wanted to ask, does it matter if the Sasso rooster is also a barred, red sex link himself, will he still produce sex links over white hens?

I was under the impression that you shouldn't try to use a sex link to make more sex links, bc the waters are already muddied. But does it matter, so long as he has red, red is red?

Incidentally, I read somewhere that if you want to do something similar to what I'm talking about, there is a brown ranger you can get that makes it easier.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thank you!!! I think unfortunately, we are not getting the rooster at this time. :/ But I wanted to ask, does it matter if the Sasso rooster is also a barred, red sex link himself, will he still produce sex links over white hens?

Yes it matters. I did not read anywhere that a Sasso was a sex link. I thought he was stable in his colors. You cannot use a red sex link to make a red sex link. And it is not over all white hens, the hen has to have the silver gene. Not all white hens have silver.

Incidentally, I read somewhere that if you want to do something similar to what I'm talking about, there is a brown ranger you can get that makes it easier.

I don't know which brown ranger you are talking about. As long as both genes at that gene pair are gold he can be used to make red sex links with the right hen.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

Oh, and supposedly they are decent layers, too, from everything I'm reading. They are very popular globally as a dual purpose bird.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

There is an excellent thread that does cover these types of breeding projects with some more information.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/freedom-ranger-vs-heritage-breeds.1179571/

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

I'm assuming it's a sex link because the females I see look red, but they have a different hen pictured I could pull from the Freedom Ranger website...

ETA
Sorry, his female is not red, per se. This is from the Freedom Ranger website.

 

[Nomadicus]

We have been talking about trying our hand at various meat birds for some time, but we currently just have a laying flock of Australorps and Welsummers. A friend has offered us a rooster, which might be nice since we haven't been able to free range our birds as much as we would like, following a predator attack.
View attachment 3393868
The rooster would be a Sasso Rooster (or possibly a "homegrown" white rooster of anyone's guess stock). Assuming there's no real genetic benefit to taking a beautiful white mixed breed rooster, what would happen if we were to breed the Sasso with our layers for a dual purpose terminal cross?

I feel like the Welsummer might be the most desirable cross in terms of similar coloring and nice dark, speckled eggs from the hens. I don't know how the Australorp cross would turn out, looks wise; like a mess of black, red, and possibly barred mutts??? Does that even matter?

I think the only way to get sex links is if we were to hypothetically take a couple of their Delaware (or any white / silver) hens to breed him with for the red over white/silver sex linkage. (Or they would have to go ahead and set up their own breeding pen for that, which they have a farm, they have just never intentionally bred or hatched chicks before.)

The other issue with some of these other crosses becomes logistical for me, because it's very easy to let him be out with the girls while I just check for fertility and collect only the Welsummer eggs. But if I were to introduce any Delawares or SLWs to the existing flock, their eggs would be more or less indistinguishable from my current Australorps, correct? So about the only way for *me* to get sex links, is to relegate him to a breeding pen with new (to me) white / silver birds, which is 1. A whole lot Harder and 2. Defeats the purpose of letting him range with the flock.

Any members with more experience than I have want to weigh in? I'm all ears.
View attachment 3393871View attachment 3393874View attachment 3393876View attachment 3393877
[Disclaimer: Birds pictured are not my own. I'm only including the Delaware and SLW because I *think* she has both of those hens in her existing flock, so it might hypothetically be a possibility as well. ETA She has only Delawares and Welsummer hens, relevant to the conversation.]

You are right about red x white(silver) genes. Also look at Red over Barred Rock... = Black Sex links. Looks at Welsummers over Barred Rock = Welbar that is a sex link at hatching. Rhode Island Red over Rhode Island White is often called a Cinnamon Queen sex link. I'm curious as to what a White laced red Cornish rooster over a White Rock hen would produce. Will there be enough red in the Cornish to have a sex link broiler?