You may be wondering, are Golden Sexlink Chickens good egg layers? These birds are common among many commercial egg-laying businesses because of their high productivity as well as ease of sexing and breeding.
They start laying eggs early compared to most other chicken breeds. A Golden Sex Link hen will start laying eggs when approximately four months.
Golden Sex Link chickens have been bred so that backyard chicken keepers can tell right away if their bird is male or female.
These adorable chickens are created by crossing Rhode Island Red Males and Rhode Island White Females.
The result is a powerful and resilient dual-purpose chicken breed with excellent egg-laying skills and substantial size for meat.
If you plan to add a few Golden Sex Link chickens to your flock, you come to the right place. This article will discuss everything you need to know regarding raising Golden Sex Link chickens. Keep reading to learn more.
History And Background Of The Golden Sex Link Chickens
The Golden Sex Link chicken was developed in the 1950s by breeding the Rhode Island Whites and the Rhode Island Reds. The outcome of this is adorable little chicks that can easily be sexed on the day of hatching.
They are created for the egg industry in the United States of America by Cherry Eggers, New Hampshire, or Rhode Island roosters, coupled with Rhode Island White or White Rock hens.
Breeding the Rhode Island Reds from Brown Leghorns and Malay chickens began in the late 18th century. Since then, breeders have developed egg-producing breeds of modern chicken.
In the early 1930s, Rhode Island Reds were used for breeding New Hampshires for their early maturity and large brown eggs.
Like other sex-linked chickens, you can sex a Golden Sex Link chicken as soon as it lays eggs. You will just have to look at the chick’s coat to figure it out.
Sex link chicks usually have striped feathers and are light brown in hue. The yolk of a male Golden Sex Link chick is usually yellow.
Chicken keepers can easily purchase their chicks because of this, and hatcheries can easily sell their chicks because of this.
If you acquire a Golden Sex Link chick, you can rest easy knowing that your backyard flock will not contain any roosters if you wish. This is beneficial to those in urban areas or those with backyard hens.
Since female and male Golden Sex Link chicks have distinct color patterns, you easily tell the gender of your chicks from the color pattern of their wings.
Here are a few basic characteristics of the Golden sex link chickens:
- Golden Sexlinks lay an average of 5 large-sized eggs in a week
- They have single combs and are hardy birds that will survive at any temperature.
- They are easy to deal with
- An adult chicken is 5.5 pounds.
Egg Production
Golden Sex Link chickens are known for their exceptional egg-laying abilities. Under good nutrition and proper care, a Golden Sex Link hen can lay five or six eggs in a week. This translates to 300 to 320 eggs in a year. They start laying as early as four months old.
At this point, the hen will be barely mature. The comb will continue to turn from pink to red as a sign of maturity. A few days later, they will start laying eggs.
They will continue producing eggs at a constant rate until they are around two years old. After this, the number of eggs they lay will fall significantly. However, they will continue to lays eggs for at least another year or two.
Golden Sex Link chickens lay brown eggs that can be medium to large-sized. Despite their diminutive stature, they may even lay abnormally large eggs.
These chickens are not the broodies of chicken breeds when it comes to incubating their eggs. These birds are a good option for those who do not have a rooster and just want to eat eggs.
If you want to raise Golden Sex Link chicks, you will need to place your eggs in an incubator or under a brooding hen. It is important to note that their eggs will produce mixed cross breeds and not Golden Sex Link chicks.
Winter Eggs
These birds are extremely hardy chickens since they are a result of breeding two Rhode Island chickens.
Therefore, their lovely golden eggs will continue to hatch through winter. They might slow down a bit but will not stop totally.
Personality And Temperament
Golden Sex Links are among the best chicken breeds in terms of friendliness and temperament.
Some backyard chicken keepers have said that their birds will follow them around if they are allowed to pick them up or handle them.
Disturbances such as movement and loud noises do not seem to bother these adorable chickens.
Golden Sex Link chickens are excellent for backyard chickens or families with children because of their characteristics.
Because of their ease of care and friendliness, they are also a good option for chicken enthusiasts who want to keep chickens for the first time.
These friendly birds will do well in any backyard flock because of their docile nature. However, their temperament may make it difficult to get along with unfriendly chicken breeds.
They are peaceful birds who will avoid pecking or fighting with other birds in the flock. Therefore, you will need to ensure that they are kept with friendly chicken breeds only.
Appearance And Characteristics Of Golden Sex Link Chickens
Golden Sex Link roosters come in a variety of colors, including black, gold, and white. On the other hand, hens are a deep crimson with a gleaming sheen. You can incorporate them into our backyard flock to provide a stunning contrast.
Hens can weigh anywhere between 4-8 lbs, while their male counterparts can weigh between 6-10 lbs. The size and weight of Golden Sex Link chickens usually vary depending on age and strain.
For instance, a Golden Sex Link hen that has produced eggs for a long time will weigh less than the one that has just started to lay eggs.
Since female and male Golden Sex Link birds have distinct color patterns, you can easily tell the gender of your chicks from the color pattern of their wings.
For instance, there are no reds in male chicks. On the other hand, female chicks will come in various colors, including completely yellow, red, and yellow with red splotches. The feathers of roosters are usually red, while those of hens are white.
Golden Sex Link hens have an upright, U-shaped body mostly covered in red-brown feathers with white spots. On the other hand, roosters have an all-white body and red shoulder feathers. They also have yellow eyes, yellow eggs, and a yellow beak.
Since these birds are sex-link hybrids, it is possible to tell the gender of your chicks when it first hatches. Color will distinguish males from females. While females are a golden buff, males are a pale yellow.
Golden Sex Link Chicken Care Guide
Health Issues
Golden Sex Link chickens are fairly healthy birds for the first two or three years. However, since they are meant to be high production chicken breeds, they tend hardly to live beyond five years.
The usual demise of these birds is because of egg issues such as egg yolk peritonitis and cancer.
Other than a short lifespan, Golden Sex Link chickens are hardy birds that will do well in different climates and weather conditions.
However, like most other breeds of chickens, these adorable birds are susceptible to common chicken parasites such as mites, lice, and worms. Therefore, you will have to check them for these parasites regularly.
In addition, you will need to check your birds for frostbite during very cold winters. You can use vaseline and chicken coop heaters to keep your flock safe.
Feeding
Like other productive and dual-purpose chickens, your Golden Sex Link chickens will require a proper diet to live a longer and more productive life. You can feed them on a standard 16% layer feed.
Your hens will also need some calcium in their diet to aid in the formation of strong eggshells. You can have separate containers of grit and oyster shells.
In addition, you will need to make sure that your birds have access to fresh and clean water at all times.
Coop Setup And Roaming
Although Golden Sex Links are small chickens, you can still apply the usual 4 square feet of coop space.
You will need to ensure that your birds have enough space not to develop some anti-social habits like feather picking.
It would help if you only housed them with other gentle chicken breeds such as the Polish chicken.
They will require around 8 inches each of space on the roost. This will ensure that your hens have enough space to perch without sitting on their neighbors.
You can give them a choice of perches to choose where they want to be. These chickens are good foragers and will do well if allowed to free-range.
If you are keeping them in a run, give each bird at least 8 square feet. You will also need to provide one nesting box for every three birds.
Conclusion
The Golden Sex Link is an adorable chicken breed that can be an excellent addition to any addition.
They are known for their friendly and docile nature, making them popular pets for their owners. Besides, they are prolific layers that will start laying large brown eggs at four months.
