[Casey76]

I was just checking out fleabay for hatching eggs (as you do) and someone is selling amberlink and goldline hatching eggs!

To be fair the seller is saying that amberlinks and goldlines are hybrids, but they don't mention what breed the cockerel is.

Do people realise that, as hybrids, amberlinks and goldlines don't breed true?

They are also selling marans hatching eggs, and mentions specifically that the Marans is "pre breed" it doesn't matter if the Marans is a "pure breed" if the seller doesn't mention what type of cockerel they have!

When you buy the eggs, you will get a mixture, because the eggs are difficult to tell apart (so says the advert)... well one would hope you can tell the Marans eggs at least!

Aaaargh... this type of "backyard breeder" really, really annoys me (not to belittle all backyard breeders, some are very good and specify what kind of cocks they are using with what type of hens... some people want F1 crosses etc.) and I think they are taking advantage of people new to keeping chickens (then again, people who incubate on the spur of the moment "to have the experience" without any prior thought into it annoy me too - but that is another rant all together!).  Hybrid vigour will only go so far if you are breeding mongrels!

[themagicaltoad1]

Mine are all mongrels but they're pets with the added bonus of eggs so it doesn't really matter. The eggs we hatched in April were listed on ebay as silkie x legbar and we've been assured they will lay blue eggs but I'm not convinced. The chicks are now 9 weeks old and a motley looking quartet as you can see from the photo (one was camera shy). Not sure what my older girls are but I think they're lovely.

[Casey76]

But you knew what you were getting!

An amberlink crossed with an unknown cockerel could produce anything at all... but what ever it is it won't be an amberlink!

[Evansent]

They are beautiful, not a mottely one amoungst them!!

[wildwitchy]

You're older girls are stunning. The little ones are pretty but i love the creamy looking hens.

[GrannieAnnie]

Oh Casey, that's what I keep trying to tell people.  The chap up the road from us sold a young man in our village 2 hybids about 6 week ago.  One looks like a black rock and the other looks like a Goldline, but she has feathery feet.  Joy thought perhaps she was a Goldline crossed with a Maran, but when Anthony popped round today, he described his Goldline and her shape and how she stands, and we looked at Klaus my gold silkie, and Anthony said that is exactly how my girl stands and is that shape, so it looks like it could be a goldlinexsilkie!

He was also selling last year for £60 a trio of Bluebelles! When I said to his sidekick, Bluebelles won't breed true, he said oh I know, we get all sorts of colours in the chicks!!!

At least when people come to me, they come back again, they only go back to him to complain!!!   

[themagicaltoad1]

It must be frustrating for you if you are trying to maintain a particular breed. When we were trying to find some bantams last year and were new to all this, the man who sold them to us kept all his pure breeds in separate runs and we just took 3 from his hodge pot of mixed bantams. Except for the golden silkie, (not in the photo), we've no idea what they are

[gsc]

It's a very sad fact that as long as there are people prepared to buy, some people will sell anything.

I try and draw the line with whether people are honest about what they are selling, and this case, while he may not have lied, he clearly doesn't know (or isn't saying) exactly what he's selling.  Bad news!