Why we like the Amberlink
- Does well in the heat of Summer
- They are very active and are top-notch foragers
- Have good egg production, in that a hen will lay around 270 eggs a year
- Not as aggressive as other breeds
Brief history of the Amberlink
If you farmed in the 1970’s you might remember the Amberlink, as it originated in the USA. But as egg production moved away from small family farms to large corporation-run confinement operations in the 1980’s the Amberlink breed fell out of favor as they do not do well in confinement. They must be given room to forage and move around.
They are a hybrid which means you cannot take two Amberlink chickens and mate them and get an Amberlink. The parent stock that make up the Amberlink is Light Sussex for the male which is a white-feathered chicken and Rhode Island Red for the female which has red feathers.
Differences between the male and female
Both genders hatch looking the same so you are unable to sex them by color; you are however able to sex them by looking at there wings. The males have mainly red plumage with a white undercoat that shows through in some areas. The females are mainly white with tints of red or amber in their wing feathers. Fully grown the males will weigh 5 to 6 lbs with the females weighting 4 to 5 lbs.
Summary
We like the Amberlink breed as it is a great forager when placed into a pastured-raised environment. It can also withstand the high heat and humidity that we encounter in the summer months. Is a very docile breed when given plenty of room. I remember as a kid collecting eggs with my grandma and her chickens pecking the heck out of my hands when trying to gather their eggs. That does not happen with this breed. Last but not least we like them because they are a prolific layer.
