Autosexing Poultry: what is autosexing chicken breeds?

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What is autosexing chicken breeds

Pure breeds of chicken that have undergone autosexing produce different colored male and female day-old chicks. Because it makes sexing chicks easier (females can be picked out early and separated from males), this is regarded as a very desirable characteristic. Mostly auto sexed purebred parents pass on the autosexing trait to their offspring. 

Examples of autosesxing breeds are; Cream legbar, Amrock, Ancobar, Barnebar, Buffbar, Cobar, Bielefelder kennhuhn, Brockbat, Brussbar, Cambar, Dorbar, Gold legbar, Hambar, Oklabar, Wybar, etc.

How Autosexed Breeds were created 

In the 1920s, Professor Reginald Punnet and Michael Pease led a team at the University of Cambridge to research and study autosexing poultry. Through their research, Punnet made a theory when they discovered that day-old chicks could be sexed when the barring gene was crossed into breeds with solid plumage colors, except for black, by accident. 

Punnett’s theory was that the gene responsible for barred color patterns acted differently in male and female chicks. As a result, males received two barred genes while females only had one, which meant the males would be lighter. Punnett exhibited the Gold Cambar (the World’s first autosexing chicken breed) at the World Poultry Congress in 1930.

Because of their study’s importance, they received funding throughout the Second World War. Only purebred people were raised to produce eggs during this period on poultry farms. Breeds of poultry using autosexing technology were intended to transform poultry production.

Was this discovery a revolution for poultry farming?

As it turned out, the autosexing breeds weren’t always the finest layers. While the team continued to work hard to make improvements, the poultry business abruptly changed course in favor of higher production levels and improved feed efficiency with Hybrid chickens.

These birds descended from purebred stock could also be sexed as day-olds thanks to sex linkage.

Sex linkage 

Crossing two distinct (purebred) breeds of birds results in sex linkage. For instance, the Boven Nera is a sex-linked hybrid of the Rhode Island Red X Barred Plymouth Rock (also known as Black Rock, Black Star). The Rhode Island Red X Light Sussex cross is another well-liked combination.

Like autosexing breeds, sex-linked birds can be sexed as day-old chicks using their distinctive appearances. These days, commercial poultry farms employ this method widely.

Autosexing chicken breeds

The most popular and easily obtainable is the Cream Legbar, which has probably remained popular with backyard chicken keepers because of its blue eggs. Aside from Cream Legbar, the rest have become extinct and extremely rare. 

There are no autosexing duck breeds because ducks can be vent-sexed at a younger age since the difference between males and females is obvious. 

Autosexing geese is also possible though it can be vent sexed; it is not as easy and obvious as duck breeds. 

The Cream Legbar

They are a pure breed but were created from a cross between the Brown Leghorn, Araucana, and Barred Plymouth Rock. The barring pattern of the Cream Legbar is sex-linked, meaning that males have two chromosomes involved in it while females only have one. The light spot on the females’ heads is small, and there is a distinct dark brown stripe along the back when the barring and brown coloring are combined. 

Male chicks have a considerably fainter stripe along the back, and a pale yellow patch covers most of their head. The male chick’s down is also significantly paler and silverer.