A few months ago (Nov.) afriend wrote to you to ask if my new chicks were a real breed! Your answers were so helpful. (and reasuring). Since Nov. the 7 "girls" have grown, and grown! They are the biggest hens I have ever seen..Black with red ruffs and green irridescent backs. I got my first egg 2 weeks ago (they are 4 months old) it was small, brown and a little misshapened but double yolked! Now I am getting soft rubbery eggs about 1 every 3 days. they get all the laying crumbles, scratch, calcium, crushed egg shells and scrapes they can eat. In your archive you mentioned that this might be a young chicken problem. I sure hope so, they are now "family"! Thanks for the encouragement! Mary

-- Mary Henss (mkh42@aol.com), March 08, 2000

Answers

I got some sex-links (Red Stars) also, in September, and have raised them from chicks. They started laying nice and early, but I have had and still have a problem with a few laying eggs that are either without a shell or so weak of a shell that it falls apart when laid and they eat it, leaving a gooey, sticky mess in the nest. I am tracking down the culprits and as soon as we have time, they will become Sunday dinner! I have really wondered if this is characteristic with sex-links. My other chickens (Buff Orpingtons) lay fine and they all get the right nutrition.

-- jdye (jdye_24088@yahoo.com), July 07, 2000.

I bought some chicks back in the spring -- March & April. I got a few each of red sexlinks, black sexlinks, araucanas (they're really americanas), white leghorns, buff orpingtons, & barred rocks. The white leghorns and red sexlinks have been laying to beat the band, but so far none of the other new ones seems to have gotten in on the fun. I knew the leghorns would be good layers, but didn't expect the red sexlinks to do so well. I'm impressed with those little gals. Another post here in the forums says that red sexlinks are crosses between RI red rooster & a white leghorn hen. So I guess the red sexlink hens take after their mamas.

-- Ted Holt (tedholt@tsixroads.com), November 06, 2000.

The larger pure breeds of chickens do start laying a little later than the small breeds and the sex-links. But they will also have a longer lifespan in most cases, so I think it evens out.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), November 06, 2000.

Hi, It's been almost a year since I got my baby sex-links, they are now full grown and lay 5 to 7 eggs a day (7 hens)...my neighbors love me. The squat down and let me pet them or pick them up, but no one else is allowed in the coop. I think they may be getting ready to moult, we have more then usual amt. of feathers floating around. I have found some tunnels in the coop...so I guess we have rats. I will go read the other threads for some advice. Does anyone need a dozen or so eggs?

-- Mary Henss (mkh42@aol.com), November 07, 2000.