what are the cons of having sex link chickens?

[m00nd0g]

title pretty much says it all....whats the negative aspects to having them...?

 

[RebornHeart]

i guess it depends on what you are looking for in your flock, but I am inclined to say nothing. I have some and they are pretty awesome! I am getting an egg a day even though it has been cold and raining for the past week and a half here in the Texas Hillcountry.

 

[hdowden]

they are a one time breed...you cant breed a sexlink to a sexlink to get sexlinks

 

[DancingHen]

They lay so many eggs so fast that they stop laying at a younger age than most other breeds. I have sex-links in my flock, and love them. But if you prefer to not replace your layers every year or two sex-links will burn out quicker.

 

[stephanie1992]

i think it all depends on the sex-link cross. some stop laying early. hens are not very colorful.


i myself love them. mine are small sex-link hens, there not very big. havent started to lay yet, there really no differnt than any other chicken in my opinion

 

[speckledhen]

Most hatchery sex links are prone to egg yolk peritonitis/internal laying issues. That is chronic, no cure and will kill them. In fact, hatchery hens who are bred to lay and that's it are very prone to the condition and it doesn't have to be a sex link, per se, just common hatchery stock most folks get for eggs, like the production RIRs, Rocks, Wyandottes, etc. That is one down side. It's why I don't, as a matter of course anymore, buy hatchery stock at all.

Now, if you take better quality birds and make your own sex links, just so they can be color sexed at hatch, you'll have a better bird. The usual hatchery sex link most folks mean, though, are quite prone to reproductive issues.

I personally see no benefit to sex links other than being able to sex the chick at hatch. No chicken lays more than one egg per day. My Barred Rocks and RIRs I used to have lay as well as any sex link and will probably lay that way much longer-I no longer have straight-from-the-hatchery Rocks, though. My personal opinion is that sex links are just not good looking birds, in general. I'd much rather have a nice RIR or Rock and the egg production will be just as good and for a longer period.

 

[Roosterfry]

A small but noticeable problem I could think of would be someone like me who's a small poultry breeder that likes to make a little money for chicks to cover feed cost. If a chick is able to be sexed at birth many people will not buy the cockerals. Problem would be I would lose money and be stuck with cockerals if I allowed that. What I may do for convenience to the buyer offer sexed pullets but for more than normal strait run price to keep from losing on the cockerals...

 

[Missouri 17]

I will not buy sex linked chickens again. I have three, they are excellent egg layers and will be handled but they are very aggressive to other chickens. I tried to put some other chickens with them, followed all the rules, and they killed two of the three, the third had to be rehomed. I have since read on-line that they are prone to this so I am rehoming my girls in the spring and starting over with 6 chicks that will not be sex linked.

 

[Roosterfry]

Quote:
I don't think sex linked traits cause agression. I've had your typical RIR and Wite leghorn corss before and she acted like any other hen.

Some pure breeds are sexable at birth like barred rocks, welsummers and my Norwegian Jaerhons. My Jearhons are very calm and friendly.

 

[stormylady]

I have only ever had 4 sexlink chicken 2 black, and 2 golden. I lost one of each, (neither one to egglaying problems though) the other two
are over 3 yrs old and still laying pretty strong, certainly not like they used to but enough to earn there keep, So when I saw this post I thought I would post that I did'nt think there was a down side. I see from the other post that there are alot of the cons to having them. I think I would keep a few in the flock because they are good layers, I like their personality's, and they are pretty. My chickens are a hobby mostly, I do sell eating eggs and the odd chick for extra income, but if I was to have it as a sole source of income I would probably go with the purebreeds and leave the sexlinks out. The reason I say that is because if I had the sexlinks, at the end of their laying I would just have a yard full of useless birds to feed, because I just don't have it in me yet to cull and butcher the hens .


I Guess that could be considered a big old CON huh.