What is the best white breed to use for red sexlinks?

[bossynbella]

Plan on adding a couple of white hens to my MM order I had planned on Wyandottes just because of the rose comb but have learned they will not nessecarilly work to make sexlinks. We have a beautiful Cherry Egger rooster. What would be my best choice for egg layers to breed to him for sexlinks. Don't care if they are red or gold or whatever. We already have BR and will be trying for black sex links this summer.

THanks for any help
Melissa

 

[jimnjay]

Cherry Eggers are Sex linked birds, I believe. I am not sure you can produce a Sexlink from the from a Cherry Egger.

These are some combinations that will produce Sex Links
RIR x Barred Rock = Black
RIR x Delaware = Red
RIR x SLW = Cinnamon Queen
RIR x White Rock = Brown
RIR x RIW = Golden

This is a good site for explaining how to make sex links.
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGP/Sex-links/BRKMaking.html

 

[scgamecock]

Cherry Egger will work but the white hen has to have the silver factor gene for you to be able to sex by color.

 

[coopist]

Delawares are silver based and work well for sex-links.

 

[littlelemon]

So a chick from a BR hen and a White Rock rooster won't produce a sexlink? The rooster has to be a RIR?

Are there any sexlink combinations using a White Rock rooster that you know of?

 

[Kev]

Jimnjay, thanks for that list! Was wondering what some of the sex links were out of.

Melissa, you can't use the sex link rooster for sex linked mating. They themselves are a cross in the first place. For sex linking to work, it HAS to be the hen with the sex linked genes and the rooster not to have those. So, from this mating, the cockerels inherit the sex linked genes while the pullets do not. This is sex linking.

This means your sex link rooster HAS the sex linked genes in him.. which means he will be passing them to both sons and daughters so he cannot be used for a sex linked mating.

If you want sex link chicks from your barred hens, you have to use a rooster without the barred gene, and better if he is also gold based(something mainly red or buff.. such as RIR, Buff Orp but even a solid black rooster will work ok)

 

[Kev]

Quote:
Think I just answered you in another thread?

For the first question it does not have to be a RIR. Very simply it is a "non-barred rooster with a barred rock" that gives sex linked chicks.

You cannot tell by just looking at the WR rooster to know if he has the sex linked barring or other sex linked genes he has or doesn't have. So I would say your second question is impossible to answer unless you know what color and pattern genes he has which are being blocked from view by that white.

 

[steffpeck]

Do sex-links lay better/bigger eggs, or is the main benefit, being able to sex them as day olds??

 

[digitS']

A hybrid is often found to have superior traits to its parents. This is known as heterosis or hybrid vigor.

I'm not sure what traits are considered most important on some scales of value. Feed conversion rate, a measure of a hen's efficiency in converting feed into eggs, and including rate of lay is important. That would also include the quality and marketability of the eggs. But, being able to determine sex by color at hatching must be commercially of value, also.

Steve

 

[bossynbella]

Cherry Eggers are NOT sexlink roosters both sexes are RED they are just a production strain of RIR Not pure but not sexlinks. Our friends have the hens we have the rooster.

I know he will work I just need to know what hens will work. Sounds like a Delaware is a good choice. Thanks to all for help. Any other choices ???before I call MM today???

Melissa