Red and smutty sex - connection chickens are some of the most pop loanblend chickens around and seem to be rapidly finding their home in many chicken coops .
Well known for their flying growth and high production rate of declamatory dark-brown eggs , these are undoubtedly well - be intimate chickens . During the springtime , you could believably regain some sex - liaison in just about any feed memory board selling chicks due to their far-flung popularity .
About Red and Black Sex-Link Chickens
First and first off : sexual urge - links are not an officially accepted breed by the American Poultry Association and never will be . sexuality - links arehybrid chickens and are not usually spawn past their first generation .
We will learn more about how sex activity - links are bred later in this clause . Despite the fact they are not a breed of volaille , sexual practice - links are an incredibly pop pick for many crybaby keepers and it ’s no secret why !
Red and Black Sex-Link Characteristics
1. Size and Weight
The weight unit of both ruby-red and dim sex - link is about the same , and the two are rather declamatory chickens .
The average system of weights of a hen is 6 - 7 pounds while roosters press around 8 - 9 Irish pound . Sometimes red sex - links will be a piece great in comparability to black sex - links , but they are pretty much the same .
2. Temperament
Both the flushed and black-market sex - links are known for being very active chickens , with moderately docile personalities .
These poulet are not know for hostility and can do well in smaller flock with more human interaction .
3. Egg Production
Egg yield – the reason these birds have earn so much in popularity . You wo n’t find oneself many breeds that repose better than a red or black sexuality - link .
broadly , these chickens lay between 250 - 300 prominent , brown eggs per year ! That ’s a whole great deal of delicious and farm fresh eggs .
4. Meat Production
While these chickens were n’t bred primarily for sum production , they make fair meat manufacturer .
The parent stock of most red and shameful sexual practice - links are dual - use breed , so these birds can raise a dainty amount of meat . If you ’re after an even right duple - use strain , you may be more interested in an Orpington or Jersey Giant .
Caring for Sex-Links
1. Feeding and Nutrition
Sex - links are not especially needy when it get to what they eat . If you are starting with gender - linkup chicks , you ’ll require to put them on a ripe calibre chick starter until 6 - 8 weeks of age .
Somewhere between six and eight weeks of age , transfer your birds to a starter / grower if you were n’t alreadyfeedingyour skirt a starter / grower combo . Around 16 weeks , it ’s clock time to put your young adults on layer feed to make trusted they get the nutrients they necessitate foregg production .
It ’s a dependable estimation to supply your birds with supplemental Ca in a separate mantrap — this way your hen can build up strong eggshell .
2. Housing and Fencing
Sex - links can do well in a run and are n’t as likely to fell out due to their more substantial size . instead , these birds also enjoyfree rangingand can do well in such an environment if let to do so .
Inside the coop , it ’s good to provide around 4 straight feet per hoot to verify everyone has enough room to keep squabbles down and verify everyone is healthy . For the run , a lower limit of 10 square feet is recommended , but more place is always great .
3. Health Issues and Care
Your sex - connexion should be rich andhealthyfor the first three years of life , omitting the possibleness of internal and external parasite such asmites , lice , andworms .
Since sex - links lay at such a rapid rate , they generally slow down importantly between two and three years of eld and can deal with procreative health issues .
Generally , a hen will die by five years of age due to issues such as generative tumors or egg yolk peritonitis .
4. Breeding
Breeding sexuality - links can be a turn complicated and confusing at time . A sexual activity - linked chicken is any chicken that is a upshot of two fowl of different breeds being cross to produce a chick that is sexable by the colour of the down .
sexual activity - linking is not a quality that can be bear through generations . A sexual activity - link dame is always go to be a first coevals hybrid cross .
For example : ARhode Island Redrooster is crossed over with a Silver LacedWyandottehen . The chick from this resulting pair will be a first generation sex - relate chick . you’re able to not breed two first multiplication sex - colligate birds and create second - generation sex - linked chicks .
When it comes to the unlike types of sex - contact , the possibilities are legion . A red sex - linkup is create by crossing a rooster carrying a red gene with a hen carrying a Ag gene . The leave female chicks will be cerise , while male person will be primarily white-hot .
A few unwashed red sex - connection hybrids are generally made crossing a Rhode Island Red or New Hampshire Red rooster with a Delaware , Rhode Island White , Silver Laced Wyandotte , or WhitePlymouth Rockhen . Cross a New Hampshire Red rooster over a White Plymouth Rock and you have Golden Comet . A New Hampshire rooster over a Silver Laced Wyandotte biddy will create a Cinnamon Queen .
For disastrous sex - linked chickens , a New Hampshire Red or Rhode Island Red cock is crossed with a Barred Rock biddy . The ensue bird will be black , and males will have have a large white smear on the top of their head .
Black sexual practice - links bear a strong resemblance to Black CopperMarans , but there are some distinguishing characteristics . Marans do not have fuzz on their chests , and also carry feathers on their legs , unlike sex activity - links .
I know this is a mess of entropy and it can seem a morsel confusing ! Do n’t worry , take it one step at a time and do more research on how to breed these chicken if you ’re interested in doing so .
Breed Alternatives
1. Barred Plymouth Rocks
Barred Rocksare used in the facts of life of black sex - links and make a fantastic alternative to the black sexuality - link . These birds have just as good core and ball production as sex - links with an even friendlier personality !
The large drawback to Barred Rocks is the unfitness to sex them based on down coloring material when they are freshlyhatched .
2. Rhode Island Reds
Once again , a Gallus gallus used in the gentility of sexual urge - links . Rhode Island Redswere ab initio bred as a three-fold - design breed for inwardness and eggs , so they do a great job fitting this bill .
These volaille were one of the leading breed in egg output before sex - link took over , but Rhode Island Reds are still high on the ladder of democratic breeds .
Did you know?
There are autosexing chicken too ! Sex - linked and autosexing chickens are similar , but autosexing is a breed feature ascertain in breed such asCream Legbars , whereas sex - links are created as hybrids . The great thing about autosexing breeds is you do n’t have the guesswork as with sex - tie .
Sex - link sound fairly neat , huh ? It ’s so commodious to be able to sex our day onetime chick without have to learn the vent sex proficiency because that ’s pretty dodgy ! On top of that , these chickens have spectacular egg production ! What ’s not to love ? You ’ll emphatically enjoy the summation of these bird to your flock .
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