Break down all the production/sex link breeds for me?

[nuthatched]

This is a group effort and pictures would help if possible. I struggle with identifying production mixes and hatchery sex link chickens. I'd like to know what goes into them, on what side and how to tell the difference. They have some many designer names that I'm befuddled! Some same mixes are different names for different hatcheries.
Thank you!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I hope you get some responses here...but you may have better luck looking at the hatcheries.

There are SO many "recipes" for sexlinks, and many of them jealously guarded by the hatcheries as they want to keep their recipe a secret so they have the "best" production bird.

I can tell you the basic formula.

Red Sexlink: Red based roo (often a RIR) over a silver based hen (often a Delaware or RI white or white rock) to produce yellow male chicks (to become "white" silver) and foxy gold female chicks (to become red with white bleed through).

Gold Sexlink: Gold based roo (could be Buff Orp) over a silver based hen (see above) to produce yellow male chicks (for white) and golden-red female chicks (for lighter red/gold hens with white bleed through).

Black Sexlink: Red based roo (often a RIR) over a Barred hen (usually a Barred Rock) to produce black with white head dot (barred) males and all black females (black body with red bleed through hens).

As to exactly the breeds the hatcheries use...these are whole lines of hybrids carefully controlled to produce their particular "formula" birds...but usually they are some flavors of Rhode Island or Rock or Delaware.

Hope you get some particular responses...but again I'll be surprised to actual formulas as the hatcheries "cook" these recipes for years.

LofMc

 

[3KillerBs]

As to exactly the breeds the hatcheries use...these are whole lines of hybrids carefully controlled to produce their particular "formula" birds...but usually they are some flavors of Rhode Island or Rock or Delaware.

They're not using production Leghorns for these crosses?

Too much dilution of the desired brown egg colors?

 

[Egg Blues]

There are, as I understand, many sex-linked cross-breeds, but only a few sex-linked pure breeds. Cream Legbar is among the pure breeds, the female chicks appearing chipmunk-striped, while the male chicks are duller, potentially mostly yellow/whitish.

 

[MeanCheek]

I tried to wright down some recipes this spring, I don't know how accurate they are though.

Saphire Gem: Blue Plymouth Rock X Barred Plymouth Rock

Cinnamon queen: Rhode Island Red X Rhode Island White

Golden Comet: New Hampshire X Rhode Island Red

Production Red: Same as above Golden Comet

Cherry Egger: Rhode Island Red X New Hampshire

Others like "Freedom Rangers" and "ISA Browns" say things like "a cross of four breeds" or "Rhode Island White X Rhode Island Red X ? X ? X ?

Remember, in hybrids the cock's breed should be listed first

 

[nuthatched]

There are, as I understand, many sex-linked cross-breeds, but only a few sex-linked pure breeds. Cream Legbar is among the pure breeds, the female chicks appearing chipmunk-striped, while the male chicks are duller, potentially mostly yellow/whitish.

Cream legbar, Beilelifelder, Barred rock etc, are Auto sexing, not sex link. You can totally make sex link purebreds with birds of same breed but different colors but I'm interested in those sexlinks available from hatcheries. :]

 

[3KillerBs]

California Whites are a named and standardized hybrid that is a cross between a California Grey rooster and a White Leghorn hen.

 

[MeanCheek]

Oh look, I had more

Prairie Bluebell: Aracana X White Leghorn

Aquilla: Black Australorp X Rhode Island Red

Sagilla*: Rhode Island Red X New Hampshire X Cornish

Golden 300 (duck): Cayuga X Rouen X Campbell X Runner

*I must have written that down incorrectly, it just doesn't sound right.