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Abstract
All breeds of Gallus domesticus can easily be used in sexing automation, based on sex differences in the down colour. Doubly sexable combinations (sex-linked and autosexing) are ideal for mass production of laying hens. The White Leghorn (WL) carries genes that can give 100% autosexing, provided that dominant white (I) is eliminated. Autosexing variants of the WL can give 100% sexable crosses (sex-linked and autosexing) earlier than they are 100% sexable (autosexing) in themselves. The Rhode Island Red may be utilized to much better advantage for sexable crossing, primarily by replacing gold (s+) with silver (S) in the female strains.
Thousands of sexable single, triple and quadruple crosses can be produced. We can sell millions of day-old chicks of ideal crosses without a single error, as well as day-old male or female parents.
The possibility of continuous multiple shifts of males in breeding pens without loss of pedigree accuracy is closely connected with the sexing automation, and will redouble the value of that. At best, we can for instance increase a 12-shift period (336 days - 48 weeks) to a 16-shift period. The colour variation of chicks after different males will indicate the male progenitor of the chicks. The advantages will be much more pronounced if reciprocal recurrent selection is applied.
