[Daveravey]

Can anyone tell me if the RIR x L/S crosses are sex linked at birth

[sheila]

What does sex linked mean?

[little blue]

yes...
RIR cockerels and LS hens give sex-linked chicks... female chicks are reddish brown/buff at hatching and male chick down is kind of grey or pale brown.
These are "goldlines"

RIR hens and LS cocks  = "white stars" ie white birds with reddish tails

Sex-linkage refers to using a different coloured hen and cockerel - often a light sussex or similar with a darker cockerel - black silkie ("Gold top" chicks) or Marans.
The female chicks take on the couloring of the father, the males from their mother hen.

[miccon63]

you learn a new thing every day 

[little blue]

  been reading up, as next spring we hope to cross our black Silkie, Lenin, with the light sussex to get Gold-tops...

[bamford6]

we do the gold top fantastic brooders soon as they laY 30 EGGS THATS IT BROODEY

[Daveravey]

Thanks LB   

[Hardfeather]

I found this on another forum...

1. RIR male x Light Sussex Female
pullets warm buff shade, cockerels white or light yellow. Must be done in this order to work.

2. Brown Leghorn male X Light Sussex female
pullets have light brown head and back with heavy chocolate stripes. Often two small thin stripes of colour run down either side of main stripes. Cockerels are black and white.

3. Buff leghorn male X Light Sussex female
Pullets are buff with occasional slight black markings and cockerels are silvery white also with occasional black markings, but ground markings readily distinguishable.

4. Black Leghorn Male X Barred Rock female
Pullets have pure black head cockerels have white spot on head. Can also use australorp or black langshan male with similar results.

5. Barnevelder Male X Columbian Wyandotte female
Similar results to cross 2.

6. Buff orpington male X Light Sussex female or similar silver female
Buff pullets and yellow/white cockerels

7. Brown leghorn male X barred rock female
cockerels black on top of body with white spot. Beak shanks and toes are yellow. Pullets are all black on top, beak shanks and toes all black or very dark.

8. Golden Legbar male X Light Sussex female
Gold pullets and silver cockerels

9. Golden Legbar male X RIR female
Willow legged pullets and yellow legged cockerels at hatching time

Crosses 8 & 9 have double sex links, also have feathering, with the pullets having fast feathering wings.

10. Golden Legbar male X brown leghorn female
Shank colour—pullets willow and cockerels yellow

11. RIR male X White Wyandotte female
Pullets are brown with a dark stripe running down them, cockerels are silver with black markings.

[Declan]

Little blue- what do you get if you put a LS cockeral with the RIR hens- you say white stars but are these sex linked? 
Declan

[Sharondp]

very useful - just marking this for future reference! Might put my light sussex in with my RIR for a few layers 

[geebee]

that's great info! does it work for all light x dark coloured breeds? if I use my LS cock on black rocks & brown warren types what would I get?

[CameronS]

LS crossed with a black rock won't give you a sex linked chick, they all look black at birth and show very little difference until about 5/6weeks old

[geebee]

thanks cameron