Whats a sex link?

[sethsleader]

Whats a sex link? And no rude jokes please.

 

[chickenlittle32]

Sex link is also known as a hybrid. 2 different breeds of chickens are bred and can tell what is pullet and what is roo at time of hatching by color.

 

[Sillystunt]

certain breeds can be bred togther to produce chicks that can be sexed by color.

 

[GardeNerd]

Usually a red male chicken (often RIR) is bred to a female white chicken (like a Delaware) to create a sex-link.

Some have brand names at the hatcheries including Red Star, Black Star, ISA Brown, Hubbard, Gingernut Ranger, Comet, Cinnamon Queen. Here are the most common hybrids and the crosses used to make sex links in the hatcheries.

Black Star/Black Sex Link:
New Hampshire Red X Barred Rock.
Rhode Island Red X Barred Rock

Red Star/Red Sex Link:
RIR X Delware. RIR X White Leghorn.
RIR X Rhode Island White. Production Red X Delaware

Cinnamon Queen:
New Hampshire Red X Silver Laced Whyandotte

Golden Comet/ Gold Sex linked:
New Hampshire Red X White Rock.
RIR X Rhode Island White.

Gingernut Ranger (found in the U.K.):
RIR X Light Sussex

There are also autosexing breeds like the Plymouth Barred Rock. Normally the two sexes of pruebred BR can be distinguished at hatch by a mark on their head.