production blue chicken egg color

I have a light brown chicken that gives me cream colored eggs and I have no idea what breed she is. Not a lot is known about the origin of this fancy new breed of designer chicken. It really is a beautiful chicken to look at, and you will often find it dominating chicken shows around the globe. There is even a fair amount of debate amongst breeders and farmers on what constitutes a true ‘Sapphire Gem.’ We do know that the original Sapphire Gem chicken hails back to the Czech Republic. The Easter Egger is not a real breed but a mixed-breed chicken that does not conform to any breed standard. Your email address will not be published. . They are easy to breed, and you do not have to worry about any genetic issues with the breed (this was a major issue in the past with the Araucanas). The Ameraucana is a much-sought-after chicken for backyard chicken owners. Some people do like this uniqueness. They have medium sized, single comb which is bright red in color. This is because they can’t regulate their heat all that well. The Ameraucana chicken is one of the few chickens that lay blue-shell eggs. Some chicken breeds lay green eggs, some lay blue eggs, and others lay more ordinary colors like white and brown. Impressive, right? The colour of eggshells is the result of pigments being deposited during egg formation within the oviduct. The head of Vorwerk chickens is broad and the face is well feathered. You may have coveted the gorgeous baskets full of blue, green, pink, and cream colored eggs in the past, but guess what? THE SCIENCE BEHIND SHELL COLOR. In addition to calcium carbonate and the other typical minerals, blue egg shells contain oocyanin (thus the genetic symbol O; note the root “cyan”) which is a byproduct from the body’s production of bile. Mostly speaking, chickens of Asian descent lay brown eggs, Mediterranean chickens lay white eggs and South American chickens lay blue/green eggs. They are unlikely to have a wattle (although, some of them do), and the comb is likely going to be a bright red. We think that there is simply not enough meat on them. What color eggs would the offspring lay? However, they are a popular choice among chicken owners because they are friendly, smart, hardy, and lay well in the winter.. However, generally, a chicken with white earlobes is going to produce white eggs and one with red earlobes will produce brown eggs. An example of such a cross would be a Cream Legbar rooster over a flock of White Leghorn hens. Chickens with white earlobes lay white eggs exclusively while birds with dark lobes lay brown eggs. She is very docile and when she gets picked on, she just runs away from the bullies. Easter Eggers lay a variety of chicken egg colors, from cream, to pink, to every shade of blue and green. Some of the true blue hens have the same puffy feathers around their face like the Easter Eggers so I am sure there is a common heritage to both. It is tough to find a rooster over 6.6lbs in weight and a hen over 5.5lbs. The Ameraucana is an excellent chicken bred for egg-laying purposes. Copyright © 2021 Backyard Chicken Project. ... selecting for qualities such as cream color, crest, and blue egg production. However, when the eggs do pop out, you may be surprised to see that they are blue. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. However, this does not mean that they will necessarily enjoy being around you. You could post a pic here by taking a picture of your chicken, then uploading it to somewhere you can link from, (like Photobucket, where you can put up whatever pics you want) then share the link here. At the time the breed was created, the common egg production of the “better” laying breeds was around 150-180 eggs per hen, per year. Well check out the Whiting True Blue. Add to Favorites . The Whiting True Blue chicken is a relatively new blue egg laying breed that has become more readily available through McMurray Hatchery. We have Ameraucanas in our backyard flock and we have noticed that the hens have stunning long laying season. Chicken breeds and the colored eggs they lay. Mature birds range from reddish to chesnut in color, have a single comb, yellow legs, and are on the light side — averaging around 4-7 pounds. We are a backyard movement of crazy chicken people spreading their love across the world. Although it does not weighs as much as the other meat chicken breads, the Ameraucana is typically raised for meat in the US. These eggs are light brown and medium sized. Want a chicken that lays like a Leghorn but produces a blue egg? Chickens are always going to have a unique personality. Who needs Easter egg dye when many chicken breeds lay colored eggs! Description is too vague. Actually, we have placed it in our list of the top chickens for eggs for your backyard. Required fields are marked *. He developed the breed for the fly-fishing industry. For example; the Ameraucana is a breed of chicken that really likes to keep to itself. Just curious, what do you think would happen if you crossed a pink egg-laying Easter Egger with an Araucana? Chicken breeds that lay blue eggs possess a gene called “callee oocyan” that is responsible for the coloration of the eggs. It takes a chicken about 26 hours to produce an egg; twenty of those just to form the shell. Take a look inside our egg basket and learn about our chicken breeds and their egg colors. If you are the type of person that loves to stroke their chickens or play with them, then this is probably not the chicken for you. The Delaware is a dual purpose chicken with a single comb and a layer of brown eggs. It’s not always easy to find the chicken breeds from every section above, especially if mail ordering from a hatchery is not an option for you. Some chicken breeds lay green eggs, some lay blue eggs, and others lay more ordinary colors like white and brown. The exception to this is hybrid chickens or those from mixed parent stock, as well as Silkies. Sure, egg production is a major factor, but it’s no surprise that egg color has eclipsed many other considerations as people choose their breeds. Fun Facts About Orpingtons Despite the fact only blue, black, splash, buff, and white Orpingtons have been accepted into the standard of perfection, there are several other color variations. At the beginning of egg production, all eggs are white, but both genetics and age alter the appearance of the egg. They are known as egg laying machines and at their peak they have been recorded to lay 364 eggs in 365 days! Yes. That being said, if you are into chicken breeding, they are going to be a fun breed to work with. Thanks! This unofficial breed was first produced by a breeder in that country who cros… His goal in creating this breed was a production bird that lays a consistent blue egg. However, you will surely have between 200 – 300 eggs per year, making the Ameraucana one of the best chickens for eggs. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Silkies have blue earlobes but sadly lay white eggs. Patriotic chickens for a flock is totally something attainable. We believe our project has what it takes to make the world a better place, one chicken at a time. They are quite brave, and some people have stated that the chicken is quite polite. Their legs are of slate blue color and have four toes. But is the subject of a folk legened that is said to have involved the … How egg shells gets their color involves a biology and chemistry lesson, but we’ll try and keep things light here. The Ameraucana started to appear in the 1970s. Learn how your comment data is processed. Egg color genetics don’t come from one parent, either. THEN someone can have a look and might be able to help. The Ameraucana chicken comes in eight color varieties that are recognized in the American Standard of Perfection. Your resulting chicken would be a sky blue egg layer with excellent egg production because of the White Leghorn genetics. Their feathers are beautiful. We believe in the happy, healthy, spoiled, Understanding Egg Labels: Decoding the Grocery Store Egg Carton. If you include them with other breeds of chicken, you do not need to worry about them fighting for space or anything like that. It takes 26 hours for a hen to produce an egg. The only thing that could probably stand in your way is the fact that these chickens are really tough to find, and if you can find a source for them, the chicks are going to be quite expensive. Wonderful prolific and consistent layers of large blue eggs, they are named after Dr. Tom Whiting a poultry geneticist who developed the breed. They have small white earlobes and medium length wattles. The … Unlike some of the other more ‘unique’ breeds, you don’t really need to do anything extra to look after your chickens. They just accept whatever else you are doing for your chickens. If you’re a fan of a blue egg basket, this breed may be for you! Egg Production. You need to remember that the gray to light gray plumage is referred to as blue or lavender feathering in the chicken industry. These originated in Chile. Well, at least for those who want eggs regularly. So, what is the Ameraucana about? It is only in the United States that the two of these are seen as separate breeds. In Europe, the Ameraucana is simply a variant of the Araucana. It was developed in the early 1900s near Decorah, Iowa. This breed has an excellent egg production, laying a large brown egg almost daily. Its name Ameraucana comes from the words ‘American’ and ‘Araucana’ which is the other chicken breed that lay blue eggs. Egg production has a history within the Iowa Blue, albeit through an early 1900’s perspective and expectation of egg production. The Ameraucanas chickens have well spread and medium length tail, muffs, broad heads with large eyes and a pea comb type. Our hens quit laying in December. While it is not a massive egg producer, it does produce a rather unique egg which will be a real highlight when it gets laid. Vorwerk chicken is a powerful and compact bird. However, the breed of the chicken will likely have an impact on the way that they behave. The Ameraucana is a medium size bird. Reading Time: 2 minutes Breed: Australorp Chickens. While these chickens do great in just about any environment, you may want to steer clear of owning them if the place that you live is excessively hot and humid. The Aho’s Partridge Wyandotte bantam has a black “penciling” pattern on the top and has a deep reddish background color. They do not really like it. It has broad back, a deep and rounded breast. Black Stars are dual-purpose chickens, this means they’re bred for both eggs and meat. They should start laying somewhere between 16-20 weeks and will average 200-250 per year. White and blue are the two ‘true’ egg colors. Maybe I should have gotten the Easter Eggers from another hatchery and the egg color would be different from the true blue. Blue Egg Shells (O) Some birds from South America, such as the Araucana, carry a dominant gene for blue egg shells. Unlike the brown, the blue pigment is released much earlier in the egg development, resulting in blue eggshell inside and out! But my favorite is my Black Copper Maran’s chocolate colored eggs. This breed of chicken lays large to extra-large eggs in a variety of egg colors, including blue, green, rose, brown, sage, olive, and cream. That being said, they are not going to be running away from you. The ideal would be to have blue chickens that lay blue eggs, but with the genetics of the blue gene in chicken, they will throw 25% black, 50% blue… Egg production Blue laced Wyandotte Chicken. Silkies lay a fair number of eggs, of a cream color, but production is often interrupted due to their extreme tendency to go broody; a hen will produce 100 eggs in an ideal year. Black Star Chicken Egg Color, Size, and Production. Impossible to tell without a picture, sorry. Hehe. Outside of a few exceptions, these chickens are fine integrating with other chickens. It’s the egg production why they’re one of the best backyard and homestead chickens though. However, when the eggs do pop out, you may be surprised to see that they are blue. This means that if you are going to be getting some Ameraucana as your backyard chickens, then they are not going to be making a very good meat source. Famous chicken keepers like Martha Stewart helped to popularize raising chicken breeds that lay colorful eggs, and now it’s become quite desirable to produce a basket of colorful eggs from your own backyard. Brown, olive and green can all be removed from the shell since the pigments are laid over the shell. Recent studies into the blue egg coloring suggest that it is caused by a retrovirus which altered the chicken DNA and caused blue eggs way back in history. If you are not too fussed about egg production, then you will find that the Ameraucana chicken is an easy to raise chicken. That is what we want to take a little look at on this page. The Ameraucana chicken is one of the few chickens that lay blue-shell eggs. Your email address will not be published. I love an Americana theme for summer and enjoyed planning the garden, but then I started thinking about what a flock of red, white and blue chicken breeds would look like. If you’re itching for more information about chicken egg color and how it comes about, check out this post from our friends at 104 Homestead: The Anatomy of Chicken Egg Colors. It was bred from the original Araucana chicken. Could be many different ones. Origin: Originating in Australia, the Australorp chicken breed arrived in the 1920s in America and other parts of the world.They originated from Black Orpington chickens in Britain, which were imported to Australia, where they were mated with Langshan blood to raise their status as meat and egg birds. There are several different color variants of the Ameraucana chicken. I live in Mexico, in Baja California Sur and she was gifted to me here. The reasons behind chicken breeds and egg color is really quite fascinating. The color of the Sapphire Gem chicken will amaze you. A quick Internet search will reveal little detail on the background of this bird. We believe in the happy, healthy, spoiled chicken. The exact origin of Iowa Blue chicken is unknown. Blue egg layers have a pigment called oocyanin. The goal of the breeders with the Ameraucana, was to standardize a chicken with the blue egged trait of the Araucana but without its lethal allele combination. Blue egg color is a bit more complex. Chickenmag.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Their plumage will vary across a myriad of colors, but is most commonly “chipmunk” or grey. The fascinating Araucana breed of chickens can even have earlobes that are a pale green or blue colour. Both my Easter Eggers and the true blue came from McMurray. And unlike other colors, the blue penetrates the egg – … This cute, unique chicken is an excellent egg layer, with each hen producing 250 or more eggs per year under optimal conditions. Overall, this is a small and low maintenance chicken, making it a welcome addition to many flocks. Many factors contribute to the color of a chicken’s egg — the subspecies being the most impactful. You just never know what you’re going to get with this fun breed! This relatively new breed is popular as hens lay consistent large, green eggs, have an astounding feed-to-egg conversion, are not likely to set, and free range well. Iowa Blue chicken is a great dual purpose backyard breed. They do taste the same as any other chicken egg, but the blue color of the egg really does pop out. The ones that you are most likely to encounter will have black plumage and blue legs and feet. Having a varied flock of mixed breeds is a surefire way to fill your Easter egg basket with naturally colorful eggs! If you think this would be a great idea, too, here is a list of some chicken breeds by color. Plumage is nearly white with black feathers around the neck and tail and the bird is a rapid grower. Those chicken egg colors could be coming out of your very own backyard, you just need to know which breeds lay colorful eggs! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The colour of the lobe varies with the breed of the chicken, ranging from white to almost black. Turns out, it’s a genetic anomaly caused by a retrovirus between 200 and 500 years ago. The blue color is carried all the way through the shell to the inside. As you can see, chicken eggs come in a wide variety of colors, and there are lots of breeds to choose from if you want a egg basket of colorful eggs! The type of pigment depends upon the breed and is genetically determined. That being said, as we are about to detail, they are great to make a very good egg source. At the height of the years where the chicken will be laying the egg, you would be lucky to get more than 5 eggs from your hen each week. However in a backyard setting you can expect them to lay 4-5 eggs each week. They are seen in gray to light gray plumage. To create a blue egg layer, you have to cross an intense blue egg layer with a white egg layer. I also get a pinkish brown from my golden sexlinks. However, you will surely have between 200 – 300 eggs per year, making the Ameraucana one of the best chickens for eggs. The blue egg phenotype arose only 200-500 years ago in South American Mapuche fowl. Can you help figure this out? Recent research has shown that blue egg color in chickens is actually due to an ancient retrovirus that copied itself into the chicken's genome. Color, Size, Appearance, Characteristics of Sapphire Gem Chickens Color. Eggshell color is caused by pigment deposition during egg formation in the oviduct and may vary according to species and breed, from the more common white or brown to pink or speckled blue-green.Generally, chicken breeds with white ear lobes lay white eggs, whereas chickens with red ear lobes lay brown eggs. Very interesting and informative. Famous chicken keepers like Martha Stewart helped to popularize raising chicken breeds that lay colorful eggs, and now it’s become quite desirable to produce a basket of colorful eggs from your own backyard. Adding a few Easter Eggers to your flock will be sure to get you lots of colorful farm fresh eggs! Wyandotte chicken is preferred but many people due to their egg-laying capacity, which is about 200 large brown eggs per year. The color of the egg is slightly brown. And the breed is quite rare now. If you only want to pick one chicken breed but are eager for colorful eggs, our breed choice is the Easter Egger. If you want to bring back a colorful egg basket every time you visit the nesting boxes, you should get a variety of hens, choosing one or more from each section below.

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