Where to a Broody Hen?

[junebuggena]

That's interesting about Isa Browns being sex links. I'm not familiar with Isa Brown. Are they egg layers, dual purpose or broiler types? I have some black sex links. They are RIR daddy and BR mama. The one and only female is huge compared to all the other chickens her age but the males are all average sized. I beginning to wonder if she is really a black sex link. She is black with brownish red around her neck but her legs are black whereas the boys legs are yellow.

Isa Browns are a type of red sexlink. They are a four-way cross, and only a few hatcheries know the exact breeding behind them. They are prolific layers. Red sexlinks can be produce using any silver-base color hen crossed with any red rooster.
Black sexlinks can be produce using any barred hen crossed with any non-white, non-barred rooster. The cross breeding does make them grow a bit faster than 'pure' breeds. They reach their adult size quicker than most dual-purpose breeds.

 

[lcertuche]

Well the first posting of this thread was about a different breed rooster breeding her Isa Browns so even if there is a Isa Brown rooster bred to IB girls then they probably wouldn't produce true IBs though it might be interesting to try. I'm thinking about just getting a dark Cornish rooster to breed with my girls for some larger chickens but I need more hens before trying. I have production red pullets and I might get something like a New Hampshire. My one little BSL pullet is huge so I would like to see what she might produce. Mostly I want eggs for my family and some meat for the freezer so I would like to build up a good dual purpose chicken. My BSL roosters are not very big but come cooler weather they are going in the freezer.

 

[VolailleAmant]

Quote: Interesting!
SO Isa Brown hens CANNOT lay fertilized eggs and have them hatch?

 

[VolailleAmant]

Am I safe to get a bantam sized rooster for (ie Silkie) my broodies and not worry about my IB's?

 

[junebuggena]

Interesting!
SO Isa Brown hens CANNOT lay fertilized eggs and have them hatch?

They can absolutely produce fertile eggs, that will hatch when incubated. It's not like you are crossing two different species. They just don't breed 'true'. If you breed two ISA Browns together, you will not get more sexlinked offspring. You will just produce mixed breed birds that can't be sexed by coloring.

 

[VolailleAmant]

will i be eating a soon to be chick with a rooster in the flock?

 

[junebuggena]

will i be eating a soon to be chick with a rooster in the flock?

I've had roosters in my flock for about 2 years now. I don't refrigerate my eggs. They sit at room temp, on the counter until eaten. I have never cracked open an egg and found a developing chick. Like I said, eggs don't spontaneously develop. For a chick to start forming an egg must be incubated.

 

[VolailleAmant]

Okay! Thank you all! This really helped!