It’s very possible that you’ve never even heard of an Amberlink chicken before this. The name sounds more like an internet satellite company owned by Elon Musk. Obviously, it’s not – but in the egg-laying world, it may be just as valuable!
Learn about this unheard-of chicken breed and find out where to buy these egg-laying pros.
Table of Contents (Quickly Jump To Information)
What Is An Amberlink Chicken?
The Amberlink breed is a hybrid sex link breed derived from the ISA genetic line. If you know anything about ISA Brown chickens, then you’ll have an idea about this breed too. However, many folks have never heard of ISA Brown’s either (too bad, both of these breeds are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G).
This hybrid is a unique mix that can’t really be done at home. As far as I can tell CAN include Rhode Island Reds and White Plymouth Rocks or White Island Reds. One bit of fact you can count on is that a Rhode Island Red is involved.
Amberlinks have white feathers with amber-colored accents. They are extremely cold hardy and lay eggs like an egg-laying pro even in the cold dark winters. If you want eggs, you want an Amberlink.
What Are Amberlink Chickens Good For?
Glad you asked. This breed is an excellent egg layer, super hardy in both cold and heat, docile in nature, and just an all-round good backyard chicken.
Amberlink Chicken Breed Temperament
This breed has a great temperament. Many times people think that hybrid chickens are for utility only, not for pets. But that’s not true. And Amberlink chickens are a fine example of just that. They aren’t lap chickens usually, but they will follow you to the ends of the earth for treats like these.
Amberlinks make a great pet breed for chicken keepers, and a pet that earns its keep to boot.
Are Amberlink Roosters Aggressive?
Amberlink roosters are not any more aggressive than other standard breeds you are familiar with. Treat them with kindness, and respect their space, and you will all get along just fine in most cases.
You need to follow the same guidelines that you should follow for all roosters: have the right ratio of roosters to hens, separate bullies, and handle them a lot when they are young. If you find yourself with an aggressive roo, find tips here to help.
You should also be aware that roosters have spurs, and are not afraid to use them. So if your rooster is getting testy make sure you watch him carefully and wear pants and boots instead of a skirt and flip-flops! 😉 Roosters use their spurs for the protection of themselves and their ladies from predators, but they can also misuse them at times.
Here is an excellent article about rooster spurs, it’s a fun read too.
Egg Production of Amberlinks
The males are great, but the females are the bomb! These girls will bring home the bacon (so to speak) once they reach maturity. They lay over 300 brown eggs each year, and that’s through the heat of the summer and the dark winter months too. As a side note, the number of eggs and the appearance of the eggs are pretty much identical to the ISA Brown egg.
Eggs here, eggs there, eggs – eggs – everywhere! You want eggs? You need eggs? You sell eggs? You collect eggs? Amberlink it! High egg production and fun to look at, a match made in chicken addiction!
I will mention that hybrid birds have very few negatives to them, but one negative thing is that they usually have a shorter life span than purebred chickens. They are bred to be egg-making machines so their reproductive systems don’t get a break. They also use up the calcium stores in their bones faster. All of this can wear them out and cause them to have a shorter lifespan.
Be sure to provide plenty of calcium for these girls. They deserve the extra help.
Free Range or Confine Amberlinks?
If you can, free-range these wonderful backyard buddies. They are truly great foragers and love every minute of it. They are better foragers than many chicken breeds. Plus it will increase their egg production and make the yolk extra orangeish yellow and super nutritious!
If you can’t free range due to poor free range environments, then set up a fence attached to the coop or shelter with a lot of square feet for them to forage. They will be happier for it! You can also supplement them with things like mealworms (full of protein) and vitamins (yes, there are chicken vitamins)!
How To Support Your Amberlinks Health
- Provide fresh clean water (give them warm water in the coldest part of winter because that’s what chicken lovers do)
- Feed high-quality, high-protein feed like this (don’t skimp on feed quality, they are what they eat)
- Be aware of their health and be proactive against parasites with herbal dust baths and nesting herbs
- Protect them from stress by not overpopulating the coop and keeping predators away
Where To Buy Amberlink Chickens
Now that you want all the eggs you could dream of you need to know where to get this great, but kind of rare, breed. Have no fear, there are several good options. Here are a few to get you started.
Summary
Chicken owners who want high egg production can’t go wrong with Amberlink chickens. And now that you know, you know. Give this rare breed a chance to show you her egg pro skills!
A happy wife, mother, teacher, writer, hobby farmer, lover of chickens, and contributor to Pampered Chicken Mama!
