Sex link is not a breed but a crossing method: pair the right two parents and the chicks' down colour reveals their sex at hatch, so buyers can order pullets with near-certainty instead of raising unwanted cockerels. Most sold in the US are brown-egg layers giving 250 to 300 eggs a year, docile and efficient on feed. The trick works only once — sex-link hens do not breed true, so their own chicks cannot be sexed the same way. Individual hatchery lines carry names like Golden Comet, Red Star, Black Star and Cinnamon Queen.
Beginner friendly
Good with kids
Cold hardy
Heat tolerant
Egg colorBrown
Egg production250–300 / year
TemperamentDocile
BroodinessRare
ClimateCold hardy, Heat tolerant
PurposeEggs
Weight
Hen6 lb
Rooster8 lb
How to spot it
Comb
Single
Look for
No single appearance — sex link is a crossing method, not a breed. The tell is the chick's down colour at hatch, not the adult bird
Single
