Dekalb Amberlink chicken is one of the best brown egg layers, and it is famous among the chicken keepers and farmers for the good benefits it provides.
If anyone is interested in raising this breed for eggs or for their resilience, I highly recommend the Amberlink chicken.
You need to know all the information about the chickens, such as their history, color, size, appearance, benefits, and problems, if you are planning to breed Amberlink chickens.
This guide will help you understand all about this breed so that you can determine whether Amberlink are right for you.
What is Amberlink Chicken?
When you consider Amberlink Chicken, the first word that will strike your mind is dependency. This chicken is a free-range lover, and they are very adaptive and love to forage.
Amberlink was not a standard breed; they laid medium brown eggs, and they had an excellent egg-laying capacity. It is a hybrid bird from the ISA Hendrix line. They are sex-linked chickens, and they come from two pure breeds that are mixed together.
You can’t breed two Amberlink hybrids at the same time because this type of breeding is complicated. The pure breeds for Amberlink chicken may be Rhode Island Reds and White Plymouth rocks or White Island Reds.
Common Names of Amberlink Chicken
Amberlink chicken is also known by different names, such as-
- Amber Sex-Link Chickens
- Dekalb Amberlink
- Hy-line chicken
History of Amberlink Chickens
In 1970, it was popular in the United States, as it originated in the USA. Amberlink made a comeback as a common choice for chicken farmers.
The Amberlink chicken with white feathers is not currently recognized as a standard breed. They lay medium-sized eggs, and the color is brown.
Lifespan
It is a hybrid chicken, so the lifespan of this chicken is significantly less. Amberlink chicken does not live as long pure-breeds. The pure breeds live around 6-8 years, whereas hybrid (sex-linked) Amberlink chickens about 3-4 years.
Egg Production
In Dekalb Amberlink, egg-laying capacity slows down after the first year. After the second laying season, production decreases fifteen to twenty percent every year. When breeds get old, production decreases even more.
It is of the utmost importance to feed high-quality food to achieve excellent egg production. Hybrids are good mothers, but Amberlink chickens go broody very less.
Hybrids can be mated and will produce offspring, but some abilities like color, growth, and egg-laying ability will differ. These Amberlink chickens are sensitive to egg-laying issues, like egg-binding, prolapse, and egg-peritonitis.
Here is the list of best egg-laying chicken breeds.
Temperament of Amberlink Chicken
Amberlink chickens are friendly and excellent foragers. These are resilient breeds and can survive in hot and cold extreme conditions. They prefer to roam and hunt for food throughout the day.
Amberlink chickens are quite active, docile, and they love to play with you. This bird welcomes any form of attention when you show them a few chickens treats on your hand.
Color, Size, Appearance, Characteristics of Amberlink Chicken
Color and Appearance
The male and female varieties of Dekalb Amberlink chickens are not colored, but you may see coloration in the baby chicks, as they have the same color feathers.
The only thing special about male Amberlink chickens is that they have red feathers and a white undercoat that can be seen in some areas. Females are white with red or amber tints in their wing feathers.
These Amberlink chickens are part of the Isa Brown family. The amber link chicken’s baby chick are light yellow.
Size
The Amberlink chicken breeds are generally heavier than the Red link chicken breeds. The roosters reach an average weight of about 5 to 6 lbs, while the female weights about 4 to 5 lbs.
The heavyweight of this bird makes this bird flexible and easy to free-range. They love to forage in long yards and farms. Read our article: how much space do chickens need?
Characteristics
Dekalb Amberlink birds are calm and can live anywhere. They can get along with other heavy breeds in a free-range environment. These birds have a very gentle disposition and are not prone to broodiness.
The Amberlink chickens are very hardy. They survive easily in both hot and cold climatic conditions.
These birds are a better forager and are more adaptive to a free and non-cage lifestyle, and they also have excellent feather retention. The eggs they lay are the same as Isa Brown eggs.
Benefits of Raising Amberlink Chicken
Amberlink chicken has a high egg production capacity. These birds are very hardy, and this hardiness allows this Amberlink chicken to thrive in any environmental condition, and they adjust themselves to adapt to any situation.
These sex-link hybrid birds are very active and friendly with other chickens in the flock and with the keeper. These white and amber color link chickens lay eggs like no one in the business. They also lay a good amount of eggs in cold climatic conditions.
It always appreciates their keepers in egg production and the cold weather hardiness.
Problems in Raising Amberlink Chicken
Here are some common problems of Amberlink chickens-
- Amberlink chicken does not live long as compared to pure breeds. They have a shorter life span as compared to other species due to their high egg production.
- Hen’s reproductive system is never at rest during winters, and they rapidly use their calcium stored in the bones for high laying performance.
- These breeds have a lowered life span. The average life of a pure-breed amberlink chicken is 6 to 8 years.
- Because of the high egg production, there is a chance something may go wrong during the process. Use some good vitamins and minerals for poultry birds.
Care Guide for Amberlink Chicken
Here are some of the tips which you might consider before breeding these unique link chickens-
- Provide them plenty of water, and the amount of water container provided should depend upon the amount of poultry. For 25 chicks, roughly offer one gallon of water and provide room temperature water. Streseez plus should be added to their drinking water.
- Please provide at least 18 to 24% protein in their starter, especially to the chicks and fed this to them for the 1st six weeks, and later during the growth stage, reduce their protein content in their starter to 16 to 18%.
- For bedding, use dry litter like pine wood shavings and chopped straw. It is better not to use newspapers or any slick material, as this may cause their legs to slip out from underneath, which may cause serious leg problems. It advised the chicken keepers not to use cedar chips, dusty sawdust, and sizeable thick wood chips for bedding. Here is a guide on the best chicken beddings.
- When you buy few Amberlink chicks, make sure that the brooder space is clean and is thoroughly disinfected before using that space.
- To prevent drafts, use solid walls or a partition around chicks. You can use a good brooder house. At first, hang the heat lamp about 18 inches above the floor. Place a thermometer near the chicken bedding, read 95 degrees directly, and raise the brooder light every 3 to 4 days to reduce the heat level.
- Keep them safe from dogs, cats, and any rodents. For this, you can use good fencing around the chicken coop. Here is our guide on chicken wire and hardware cloth.
Conclusion
Since they are very hardy and resistant to any weather conditions, the chickens in the flock go well with each other.
Amberlink chickens lay a good amount of large-sized eggs. These unique and excellent features make them a more favorable choice for many chicken keepers.
The Amberlinks are great as a forager and are great for the backyard flock. Hope this guide helped you to understand this Dekalb Amberlink chicken is good or not for your backyard space.
Thanks very much for this information, I will go for this Layers as winter is approaching.