Sapphire Gem Chicken Breed: Roosters Vs Hen Profile 2024
Have you ever heard of a chicken that’s a blend of two popular breeds? What if I told you there’s a chicken that’s catching the eye of chicken lovers everywhere?
Sapphire Gem chickens are a mix of two kinds of chickens called Barred Plymouth Rock and Blue Plymouth Rock. They aren’t a pure breed, so their babies won’t always look or act the same. They are similar to an old type of chicken from Spain called Andalusian, which has been around in England and America for a long time.
People also call them Sapphire Blue Plymouth Rock or Blue Plymouth Rock. These chickens are very popular with people who like collecting unique and special chickens. Exciting enough? Let’s dig into more about them!
Sapphire Gem Chicken: Quick Breed Profile
History
The Sapphire Gem Chicken is a really cool type of chicken that has an interesting background and looks amazing. These chickens come from the Czech Republic in Eastern Europe. People there mixed two chicken breeds, the Blue Plymouth Rock and the Barred Plymouth Rock, to create them.
They’re called Sapphire Gem because of their shiny, blue feathers that stand out from other chickens, making them super popular lately.
Besides looking good, these chickens are great because they lay a lot of eggs, around 280 every year. Consequently, they’re not just pretty to look at; they’re also useful for eggs.
Coming from the Czech Republic, these chickens are easy to take care of and tough, which makes them perfect for both new and experienced chicken owners.
All in all, the Sapphire Gem Chicken is special because of its cool history, mix of features, and nice qualities, making them a great choice for any chicken coop or farm.
Eggs
Sapphire Gem chickens are known for laying big, brown eggs. Some people think they lay blue eggs because they get mixed up with the Sapphire chicken, which is a different kind that lays blue eggs. But that’s not the case.
These chickens are amazing at laying eggs all year long, and they can lay up to 290 eggs in a year! They’re mainly raised for their eggs and not really for meat.
When they’re about six months old, Sapphire Gem hens start laying around five eggs every week. This adds up to about 260-280 eggs a year, more than those of Welsummer chicken eggs. With so many large eggs, it’s easy to see why they’re so liked.
Sapphire Gem chickens are among the top egg layers, giving a constant supply of eggs throughout the year. They can lay around 280 big brown eggs annually, which is really impressive considering how much work it takes for the hen to produce each egg.
Want to know the cousins of Sapphire Gem? Check out this article on the Sapphire Splash chicken breed profile.
Appearance
Sapphire Gem chickens are pretty special when it comes to telling the boys from the girls right when they’re born. The male chicks have blue feathers with a white spot on their heads, and the female chicks have blue feathers too, but with a gold or grey ring around their necks.
They’re not too big or too small, with females weighing about 5 pounds and males about 6 pounds. Their feather color is really something – it’s called blue, but it looks more like a soft bluish-grey or light lavender. They stand out because of this unique color.
They lay big brown eggs and are known as sex-link chickens. This means you can easily spot which chicks are male and which are female because of the color and markings they have right from the start.
Some people absolutely love their unusual lavender and blue feathers, while others aren’t big fans. But either way, these chickens definitely catch your eye.
The Sapphire Gem looks a lot like a Plymouth Rock chicken, standing upright and sporting a single comb on its head. Even though they’re big enough to be used for meat, they’re usually kept for their eggs and as pets because they lay well and have friendly personalities. The roosters get up to about 7 pounds, and the hens are usually around 6 pounds.
These chickens are closely related to Plymouth Rocks, so they look similar. You can tell male and female chicks apart right away – males have a white dot on their head and sometimes white wings, while females are darker and may have a gold and grey necklace.
Right now, the American Poultry Association doesn’t officially recognize them, partly because they don’t always have chicks that look just like them. They might end up being called Lavender Plymouth Rocks eventually, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Sapphire Gem Chicken Temperament And Behavior
Sapphire Gem chickens are super chill, friendly, and easy to handle. They don’t easily get upset and can tackle most situations without any trouble.
They’re tough, can survive in different types of weather, and are happy living outside or in a chicken coop, making them perfect for beginners or kids.
These medium-sized chickens are nice to almost everyone in the chicken coop and even get along with family pets.
Since they can deal with both hot and cold weather, Sapphire Gems will look for their own food all year, which can help save money on chicken feed no matter the season.
They still need a cozy chicken house to sleep in safely at night.
The hens might make some noise when they lay eggs or if they spot something dangerous, but they’re usually quiet. Roosters do crow in the morning and sometimes during the day, so they might not be great if you live very close to other people. If you’re just looking for eggs, you don’t need a rooster.
These sturdy chickens can live for five to ten years, but they won’t lay as many eggs as they get older. Around the age of three, some might want to sit on their eggs to hatch them, but not all do. If they hatch eggs, they’re really good moms.
Sapphire Gem Chicken Noise Level
Sapphire Gem chickens are really chill and quiet, so they’re great for keeping in places where you have neighbors close by, as long as they have enough room to move around.
Like all chickens, they’ll make some noise when they’re laying eggs or if they see something scary, but mostly, they’re pretty quiet.
Sapphire Gem Chicken Cold Hardiness
Sapphire Gem chickens can handle any kind of weather, even cold winters, without laying fewer eggs. Just like other chickens with single combs, it’s a good idea to keep their combs safe from frostbite in the winter to stop them from getting hurt.
Sapphire Gem Chicken Health and Disease
Sapphire Gem chickens don’t really have their own health problems. But, like all chickens, they need to be looked after to avoid bugs like lice, mites, and worms. Usually, if a chicken gets sick, it’s because they aren’t being taken care of well, they’re living in bad conditions, or they’re not eating the right food, not because they’re naturally likely to get sick.
Sapphire Gem Chicken Food
Make sure to give your chickens good food that’s right for their age, which you can get from a trusted store. Baby chicks need different food from adult hens.
If you’re new to keeping chickens, this may seem odd but don’t worry. Your local feed store will help you out, and you can also look up articles about feeding chickens for more advice.
Egg-laying hens need extra calcium, which you can give them with ground oyster shells. They can eat as much of this as they want to stay healthy.
Chickens also need grit that doesn’t dissolve, because it helps them grind up their food since they don’t have teeth.
Not giving enough calcium to egg-laying hens can result in soft eggs. But, giving too much calcium to chickens that aren’t laying eggs yet can cause health problems.
Space And Housing
Sapphire Gem chickens can live in a big coop where each chicken has at least four square feet of space, but they’re much happier if they can roam around outside.
Letting them free-range is good because they can find extra food outside, which keeps them healthy and saves you money on chicken feed. So, it’s good for both you and the chickens.
Their coop needs a place inside where they can perch at night, but make sure the perches aren’t too high. If they jump down from too high, they could hurt their feet.
The coop should also keep out both the cold and the heat and have good airflow to let out ammonia gas, which can hurt their lungs if there’s too much of it. But, you don’t want it to be too drafty. Putting air holes near the roof can help let the bad air out without making it too windy inside.
Sapphire Gem Chicken Facts
- Sapphire Gem chickens are a crossbreed of Barred Plymouth Rock and Blue Plymouth Rock chickens.
- They can lay up to 290 brown eggs each year.
- Their feathers are a unique lavender-blue color.
- These chickens are known for their calm and friendly behavior.
- They are hardy in various climates but require protection against frostbite.
FAQs
Final Thoughts
Sapphire Gem chickens are not just pretty with their lavender-blue feathers, they’re also really nice to have around. They lay lots of big eggs that are a beautiful color.
They’re perfect for someone who’s never had chickens before or for kids because they’re tough and easy to look after.
If you spend time with them from when they’re little, they get used to people and like hanging out with their owners.