what makes a red sex-link chicken

[catdaddyfro]

IMHO Production reds lay just as equaly well as any of the sex-links, the only thing different might be feed to egg conversion, but doutful, as a lot of commercial farms still use Production reds in the egglaying business. If you get your hens to lay an egg a day that's about as good as you can push any hen, even the Leghorn type commercial breeds, as it takes around 25 hours for any hen to produce an egg. When my hens are at their peak production my reds match my GSL's egg for egg.

I've also had some of the RIRxsex-link crosses and they laid exceptionaly well also. To tell you the truth some of the best cross bred egg layers that laid very large brown eggs were from a Barred Rock roo over a Red hen(RIR, NH,Pro.reds) this is not a color sex-link chicken at hatch but the still recieve the hybridized vigor as the sex-links, due to crossing two different breeds.

Alot of people argue the point of Production reds as being RIR's or a completely different breed altogether. The Production reds that some hatcheries sell (see Ideal's) are developed from crossing RIRxNH, the reason why, you get the same hybrid vigor the sex-links have from crossing 2 different breeds.

catdaddy

 

[HBuehler]

By saying one breed is the best layer is like saying all Maran's lay super dark eggs,All leghorns are white,all white eared chickens lay white eggs and all green egg layers are Ameraucana's.There are many breeds capable of laying like sex links if your willing to cull your flock until you have it where you want it.We cull the sex links as well.The only advantage sex links offer is the ability to determine sex at birth so if you only want pullets you haven't wasted your time and money on a baby roo...if you don't mind that risk than many breeds and crosses that do as well.We eat our roosters so we even take the sex link breeds and swap them around same sex link vigor and production same chicken actually but won't sex link...btw all sex links are mutts...not a pure breed more or less a color breed only.
I'm pretty sure the OP has their question answered and will be very happy with the results.

 

[deerman]

Quote:
Agree , not saying the golden are the best. But still hard to find brown egg layer That can out lay them, there are many breeds that lay a egg a day. Many breeds, a hen lay 300 eggs per year.

 

[chickenshagg]

Can you create a sex-link by crossing a Black Jersey Giant roo with a Delaware hen?

 

[catdaddyfro]

Quote:


Taylor sorry about chasing rabbits there kinda got side-tracked from the original ques;... what makes a red sex-link chicken?

Well as I mentioned earlier to me theres a difference between a gold sex-link, red sex-link, and brown sex-links.

Red sex-links that are solid red are from the hybrid cross of a gold gene male usually (RIR, NH, or Production red) crossed over a silver gene female; white Columbian patterned(Col. Rocks/ Wyandottes, or Lt. Sussex), Delaware, or SL Wyandottes. Results in a sex-link brown egg layer that is sexable by color at hatch with the males being yellow and the females rusty red/with maybe a little yellow in the down. The males feather out mosly white with some red showing up in the pyle zone and usually have a black tail. Females feather out the same as the father with usually a little lighter shade of red/black tail, no white anywhere.

Gold sex links are usually buff/white (Golden Comets, Golden Buff, and GSL's) a cross between a gold male(RIR usually) and silver female(RIWhite) and brown sex-link red/white (Red Stars, ISA Browns, Cinnamon Queens,Hi-sex browns, ect.......) a cross between a gold male(RIR,NH) and a silver female(Wt. Rock). Males mostly white with red freckling/ticking or red in the pyle zone/ white tails. Either may also have some black speckling/smutting throughout the body feathers.

catdaddy

 

[Chris09]

Just to touch on the Sex-link's that are Rhode Island Red male over a "Rhode Island White" female.
The Rhode Island White in most cases is not a true Rhode Island White. The true Rhode Island White has a Rose Comb. The Rhode Island White that most if not all the hatcheries have is a Single Comb and not a true RIW. If the hatcheries would be using a true RIW the off spring would have both Rose and Single Comb.
The RIW was made up of 3 breeds the Partridge Cochin, White Wyandotte and Rose Comb White Leghorn..

Chris

 

[Dr HaHa]

Wow! Am I ever glad I got up today. I learned something. Actually a lot more than I expected. I saw a picture of Golden Comets and that's exactly what my girls look like. I got them through a small local feed mill and they were advertised as Brown's. Being new to chickens I thought Hmm brown chickens and when I asked about their lineage they didn't know. But I sure do now! I want to thank everyone for setting me on the right path. THANK YOU!

 

[catdaddyfro]

Quote:
This is true but that also gets back into what hatceries and some breeders call their own versions of stock, whatever they are when used in the gold over silver cross they produce a lighter color(buff with white tail) than using a White Rock which produce a more reddish/brown with white tail. Either/or they are both great layers of big brown eggs.

catdaddy

P.S. Just thought I'd add that these breeds that are crossed to produce these commercial/industrial type hybrid layers aren't just the old average everyday breed. They are production strains specificaly breed for egg production, with type, color and most anything else that we know of them to be as a standard breed is of not much importance. Anybody can breed their own version of a sex-link type bird but don't expect them to be of the quality that these breeders have put a lot of time and money into developing. Now don't get me wrong a homemade sex-link is a good egg layer at least as good as the parent stock possibly a little better due to "hybrid vigor" but if you've already got a good egg laying breed like say: Production reds you probably won't improve the crossbreed much as the production red is already about as good an egglayer that we humans can possibly make a biological animal with red blood and a heart produce.

 

[tfreeman]

I know about RIR roos crossed with Delaware hens to get red sex link. I've done it. However, would a Red Sussex Roo create the same sex link chick if mated with a Light Sussex Hen?

Does the roo have the needed genes to accomplish this?

Thanks
T Freeman

 

[catdaddyfro]

Quote:
Yeah, that is a gold over silver color pattern cross and would yield color sexable chicks at hatch. Red pullets and white roos.

catdaddy