Would this be a good cross?

[flockman]

I have a RIR rooster and white rock hens. The chicks would be red sex link right? I think I will try this in the spring.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Maybe red sex links. Maybe not.

There are two things required to make a red sex link. The male has to be gold, which the RIR rooster certainly is. The hen has to be silver. The White Rock hens might or might not be silver. Silver by itself will not make a pure white hen. By itself, silver will always have some pattern color, usually black but not always. For a chicken to be pure white you need either recessive white or dominant white. So your White Rock has to have either recessive or dominant white. Silver might or might not be hiding under that white. A lot of different things may be hiding under that white. I know a lot of hatcheries use White Rocks to make red sex links, but they know what genetics re hiding under the white. As far as I know, you don’t know what is hiding under yours.

The other thing is that you have to be able to see the yellow and red down when the chick hatches. Even if the hen has silver, there might be other genetics hiding under the white that would keep you from seeing the difference.

In spite of what I just said, I think it’s worth trying. A lot of White Rocks do have silver. The difference in the red and yellow down may be real subtle, but if you have chicks to compare you maybe find the differences. It could be a difference in some down on the head. It might be the entire chick is either yellow or red. I think the odds of your getting a red sex link are reasonably good.

Something else to consider. There is no genetic link between them being a red sex link and how they lay. If both parents come from flocks that lay well, then the offspring should also lay real well. That cross should give you pullets that lay well, whether they are sex links or not.

 

[donrae]

White rock hens are not advised to make sex links as they often have dominant white. You'll still get nice birds, just not necessarily sex links due to that white messing with things.

 

[flockman]

I may try it in the spring. It will be interesting to see what I get. Last year my white rock rooster mated a buff orp hen who has a little grey in her tail. The chick came out white with some grey.