When did your sexlinks taper egg production?

[LynneP]

I have 12 sexlinks hatched May 2008. They're finishing a slow moult, and I've had 2 with egg production probs, 1 eggbound and one with softies. I've boosted nutrition with extra calcium and multivitamins, but I'm wondering what your experience has been with eggs in sexlinks 2 and older...

 

[bigredfeather]

About the same here. Mine layed an egg almost everyday for the first year. Then a very slow moult (about 4 months) and every since, it has been hit and miss. I have quite a few operations around me that use the sexlinks. They get rid of them after their first year of laying. I see them for sale all the time on Craigslist, sometimes 200 at a time. I have now switched over to all purebreeds. Not as many eggs in the first year, but for the long term, you will get more eggs from them. I've read of some people having 5-6 year old hens still laying 3-4 eggs per week. The only way I would have sexlinks as my primary layers is if I had parent stock that could produce them, so it wouldn't be so costly to replace them every other year.

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

I have some Red Star Sex links from Cackle hatchery that I have had for 6 years. They still lay ex-large eggs and about 80% of them lay every day. They seemed to lay fairly well through their first molt, but stopped completely during the next molts. They always start out with small "pullet" eggs when they start back up and the eggs gradually got bigger until they were back up their normal size.

I had planned to replace them every year, but I just couldn't sell all of them because they produced so well. I have heard different responses to your question from others with sex link hens. They varied from what mine do to completely stopping laying after 3 years.

I assume it makes a difference as to what breeds were used to create them. Everyone says that their offspring don't lay very well either. I haven't had that problem either. I used Barred Rock and RIR roosters on them and got excellent layers from the offspring. A lot of varied colors, but they layed their heads off.

I didn't have as good of luck from the sexlinks I created as the ones I bought from Cackle, though.

Jean

 

[jrvv]

Hi there,

I'm new to the BYC site. I have 4 Shaver Sex Links and they are wonderful; however, 1 has stopped laying for 4 days in a row (after having laid consecutively) and seems suddenly slow (stupid/dimwitted/depressed), sits on the roost well after the other girls are out and about, and falls asleep sometimes on the spot. Is she egg-bound or stressed? The only different thing in their environment is two rowdy 6-year old girls (neighbours) who have been around the hens for the last 5 days or so.....is she perhaps recovering from stress?

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

(Girls are 23 weeks, have been laying once a day, sand-based coop with outdoor run, 20x15 outdoor free-range, layer feed, clean water, some treats - compost/worms, lots of sunlight and shade, treated very well, low exposure to their own poop - I clean the sand 1x per day, very tame chickens - love their Mama!)

Jenn