The Black Sex-Link is produced by breeding a Barred Rock hen and a Rhode Island Red rooster. This cross creates a versatile bird, having a Barred Plymouth Rock’s docile temperament and is winter hardy like the Rhode Island Red. Adults will weigh five to six pounds, and hens lay approximately 250 large brown eggs per year, making them an excellent dual-purpose bird. Mature birds have copper-colored feathers around their necks and black iridescent feathers around the rest of their bodies. They are called Black Sex-Link because they can be sorted by sex at hatch just by looking at their feathers’ color. The male chicks have mostly black fathers but have a white patch on their heads, and female chicks are solid black.