Hybrid Sex Links vs Heritage Breeds

[Iluveggers]

So I have been reading many threads about breeds, and one thing I see is that hybrid sex links don’t lay for very long and sometimes die young.
I have 3 ISA browns, 3 Rustic Ramblers, & a Sapphire Gem along with Eggers and the rest heritage breeds. What kind of life can I expect for these ladies? Has anyone had their hybrid live a long life?

Second question, for my heritage breeds, how old were they when they completely stopped laying? How long did they live? (Assuming they didn’t die from a predator).

I know all birds are not equal, and hatcheries can make a difference, but I’m wondering about peoples experiences.

Thanks for your input!

 

[Aunt Angus]

So I have been reading many threads about breeds, and one thing I see is that hybrid sex links don’t lay for very long and sometimes die young.
I have 3 ISA browns, 3 Rustic Ramblers, & a Sapphire Gem along with Eggers and the rest heritage breeds. What kind of life can I expect for these ladies? Has anyone had their hybrid live a long life?

Second question, for my heritage breeds, how old were they when they completely stopped laying? How long did they live? (Assuming they didn’t die from a predator).

I know all birds are not equal, and hatcheries can make a difference, but I’m wondering about peoples experiences.

Thanks for your input!

I have 1 hybrid: a red sexlink. She is at least 6 years old and still lays regularly. I see zero signs of her slowing down, and she's been in fantastic health since I rescued her from a really bad situation.

My heritage breeds are younger (the oldest being about 3.5 years), so I can't really answer from personal experience. Only my Cochin lays infrequently, but she's always been an unreliable layer.

 

[Sara S]

Awww I have a sapphire gem too and 2 golden comets. The golden comets are unposed to have a shorter life span, but there are people on here who ive asked the same question to that know more.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Awww I have a sapphire gem too and 2 golden comets. The golden comets are unposed to have a shorter life span, but there are people on here who ive asked the same question to that know more.

The girl I mentioned above is what is sometimes referred to as a Golden Comet. She's 7 yo and still going strong!

 

[Sara S]

Aww I have a sapphire gem and 2 golden comets. They are babies. And I just asked some stuff like that this week
these people are so smart lol!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/golden-comets-sapphire-gems-dark-brahmas.1505137/

 

[nuthatched]

I've had both a barred rock and a red sexlink link live to be 8 before they were snatched by coyotes. I believe 'sex linked' and 'high production' are not synonymous.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

We had quite a few production reds when I was growing up. None of them lived very long, maybe 5 years was the oldest. I had two last year, both died, they were about 3 years old. I've no idea what killed them, they just got sick and died about 4 months apart, none of my other hens got sick at all.
We had an old heritage hen when I was a kid (I think she may have been a light sussex), her name was Isabel and she lived till she was 10. She didn't lay the last couple of years of her life but she laid occasionally up till she was about 8.
I currently have an old orpinton hen, I'm unsure of how old she is but she's been old since I've had her! She still lays an egg once a month or so.
The moral of the story is anything can happen really with individual chickens. Some production reds live long lives but most don't. Some heritage hens don't live very long but most live longer than the reds do. I won't get production reds again. They're such lovely birds it upsets me too much when they die, and they suffer on the way.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I've had both a barred rock and a red sexlink link live to be 8 before they were snatched by coyotes. I believe 'sex linked' and 'high production' are not synonymous.

You're right. Production reds aren't sex links, but Golden Comets are sex linked, right? And they are used frequently to be high producers. That's what I meant. I think. Maybe.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

You're right. Production reds aren't sex links, but Golden Comets are sex linked, right? And they are used frequently to be high producers. That's what I meant. I think. Maybe.

Production reds are sex links but not all sex links are production reds
The girls hatch ginger fluffed and the boys hatch yellow fluffed. At least that's my understanding of it. In New Zealand we have only 2 types of production reds available they are called brown shavers and hyline browns.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Lemme see if I can better explain what I meant and said so poorly...

A sex link is a bird whose sex is apparent at birth because its coloring is sex-specific, like Golden Comets and others. But there are lots of birds that are sex-linked. Golden Comets just happen to be a hybrid that is.