Gauteng Smallholder December/ January 2018 | Page 28

POULTRY
A friendly, docile hybrid layer
S
teady and reliable is the
way poultry owners
describe Amberlink
chickens. Adaptable is
another important trait, so a
smallholder who wants to set
up a small flock of chickens
should consider this breed.
The Amberlink is a hybrid
that is a good egg producer.
(A hybrid chicken is created
by crossing two or more
different pure breeds and
sometimes crossing further
after this. There are hybrid
crosses that produce table
birds and hybrid crosses that
Amberlinks are a good choice
for a plot chicken flock
produce hens for laying.
Hybridisation developed in
the 1950s.)
Sometimes they are called
Amber Star or Amber White
chickens.
The hens are white birds with
brown flecking, while the
males tend more to beige and
brown colouring. The males
reach a mature weight of
about 2,5 to 2,7 kg and the
females mature at about 2 kg.
These weights make the bird
flexible enough to thrive in
confined or free range
environments. While they do
well in confined spaces, they
do equally well at foraging
even from a young age,
happily scratching for their
food. They are active
chickens.
If you get them as young
chickens, it is best to allow
them to adjust to their new
coop and learn how to roost
properly. Once they have
adjusted to their new home,
they will come back to the
coop by themselves in the
evenings instead of trying to
roost in the trees.
They are hardy birds and are
capable of flourishing in most
climatic conditions.
Amberlinks are a hybrid breed
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The breed is docile, curious
and friendly, with individual
birds having distinct personal-
ities. They are easy to handle
and generally good with
children. They welcome any
form of attention, especially
when food is involved. Their
docile temperament allows
them to get along with other
heavy breeds.
Their fans will tell you that
the best quality of the
Amberlink is the egg produc-
tion. The hens start laying
around five months of age,
and can lay up to 320 eggs in
their first year. After their first
year of laying, hens slow
down in production. The eggs
are large to extra large and
brown. The incidence of
double yolks is quite high.
For more information on the
breed call Farm Fresh Eggs on
082 903 6595.