A blue chicken might sound absurd. Perhaps, to someone new to poultry, one might be left wondering who does the job of painting chicken blue and why!
Actually, it is the feathers in some chicken breeds that are blue in color making them referred to as blue chicken.
They are among the friendliest chicken breeds with some amazing personalities. Apart from having an eye cuddly color, some make good chicken pets while others are good for meat, eggs or both.
So, in this article, let’s talk blue chickens. I will go through some of my favorite blue chickens and help you get to know more about them.
Let’s roll!
Best blue chickens
Blue Silkie
Blue silkie chickens are one of the best chicken pets you can have around. These fluffy chickens are dense feathered and look like a mass of a fluffy ball moving around.
Silkie chickens are calm, cuddly and quiet birds that won’t mind sitting on your lap. The silkie rooster is known for his extreme docility and he is the boy you would want near your kids.
Looking at these chickens, they are slate grey and the feathers have a black lace edging. They are very unique because the skin, flesh and even the bones are dark.
Their legs are well feathered and do very well in cold climatic zones. On each foot, a silkie has five toes a similar feature exhibited by Dorking chicken.
Silkies are good layers of 100-120 small eggs per year. Their eggs have a white or tinted egg shell color with the inside egg being white with a medium to small yellow yoke.
The laying pattern of female silkie chickens is often interrupted by their high tendency to go broody. Silkie hens are among the best chicken moms known and are used to foster baby game birds and other domestic fowl.
Blue Ameraucana
Have you ever heard of blue eggs? Ameraucana chickens are known to be blu egg layers. These chickens are characterized by a tuft and muffs.
Since they are bearded, Ameraucanas look strange and weird because they have a game bird resemblance.
These chickens are very friendly, calm, and quiet making super pets. They are less talkative and are the type you would keep in an urban setting.
Blue amearucana chickens are small to medium in size with a small single comb, wattles and earlobes. The comb, wattles and earlobes are red in color.
They have clean slate legs that have no feathers. The beak is short, strong and slightly curved at the front.
Blue ameraucana hens are faithful layers of 150 blue large eggs per year. The eggshell color is blue both in the inside and outside while the inside egg is white with a single large yellow yolk.
Rhode Island Blue Chicken
Rhode Island Blues were developed after crossing the Rhode Island Red chicken with Australorp chickens.
They are medium sized high production birds with hens laying 200-250 large to sometimes extra-large eggs just like Minorca hens.
The egg shell color is brown similar to that of Cuckoo maran chicken. These chickens are often referred to as the Production Blue chickens and are available in three color varieties blue, black and red.
Blue Copper Marans
The Marans chickens trace their ancestry in a small town called Marans in France. They are very famous for their chocolate eggs that have a rich dark brown egg shell color.
These chickens are very hardy and easily adapt well in both hot and cold climates. They are calm and cool though the Blue copper maran roosters can at times turn aggressive especially towards other rooster breeds during the mating season.
Blue copper maran chickens have a darkish head, hackles while the rest of the body feathers are blue in color.
Roosters have bright copper heads and hackles. The back, breast and thigh feathers are blue. This blue color can sometimes extend to the tail region where the feathers are between blue and dusky blue.
At the age of 5-6 months, maran pullets are sexually mature and will often choose to remain near nesting boxes perhaps exploring for suitable laying spots.
In a year, the female marans chickens can lay 150-200 medium to large sized eggs. These eggs are chocolate colored meaning they have a dark brown color.
Blue Cochin
Blue Cochin chickens are a mass of fluffy feathers from head to toe. They are thick bodied heavy and hence make poor flyers just like the Dong tao chicken is.
Cochin chickens are very calm, friendly and extremely docile. These birds are the kind you would keep as house pets because they cannot harm or attack your children.
They have a single comb which has five well-marked points on it. The comb, wattles and earlobes are red in color.
The feet are yellow, so is the skin. Their legs are completely feathered and have four well-spaced toes on each foot with short claws.
Beak color can vary between strains while the eyes are golden yellow. Although they are not common, frizzle cochins are sometimes hatched where the feathers are curled and upright.
In a year, Cochin hens can lay 180-200 large eggs. The eggs have a brown egg shell color. The ladies get broody easily and make awesome moms.
Cochins will foster and raise the young of other breeds and game birds like Button quails and Manchurian pheasants.
Whiting True Blue
Whiting true blue is among the most modern chicken breeds. They were developed by Dr. Tom Whiting who crossed Ameraucana chickens with White Leghorns.
These chickens are available in many color varieties and different feather patterns. However, the blue gene has some color varieties like: Silver blue, Blue red, Blue Wheaten and Lemon blue.
The funny thing is that these chickens have mixed features of the parent stock though the leghorn genes are more dorminant.
They can have beards like the Ameraucana hens, and yellow legs like leghorns. Sometimes the comb is pea while in other times it is upright.
Whiting true blue chickens are calm and non-aggressive. They are not cuddly and will not allow you to sit them on your lap or get close to them.
They prefer to free range and will roam vast areas on the backyard looking for tasty bugs, green beans and crickets.
If you have a large compound, go for these chickens but have a rooster or geese to protect them because possums and hawks may be on the lookout.
Because they are a cross of leghorns, they are excellent and faithful egg layers. I a year expect 250-300 eggs. These eggs can vary in size depending on strains and genes.
The egg shell color can be blue or even light.
Blue Andalusian
Blue Andalusians are Mediterranean chickens that trace their ancestry in Spain. Although there is no clear record of whom their parents were, Black Castilian chickens are believed to have been bred with local birds to develop them.
They are very rare and are only common in their place of origin in few numbers. Blue andalusian chicken is a small bird that does to weigh much.
Mature andalusian roosters weigh 7lbs while the hens only weigh 5lbs. These chickens have long bodies with a slender appearance.
Their eyes are reddish bay while the beak is of a horn color, it is cone shaped and slightly hooked at the front.
These chickens have single combs that flop on one side in hens. Andalusian roosters have large combs with 5 well-marked peaks on them.
Combs and wattles are deep red while the earlobes are oval in shape and of a white color. The legs are clean with no feathers on them.
On each foot, are four well-spaced toes with short claws. Their feathers are blue in various shades of hues. There are visible faint lacing marks at the edge of the feathers especially on the wings.
In a year, andalusian hens can lay 150 medium to large eggs. This translates to 3 eggs per week with a white eggshell color and the inside egg being white with a large yoke. They are good winter layers and will continue producing eggs during this harsh period when most hen breeds have taken a break.
They are not the type that gets broody easily and if you want some andalusian chicks, be prepared to power on your egg hatcher.
Female andalusian chickens are never ready to take the parental responsibility and make awful moms.
These chickens are good fence jumpers just like Hamburg chickens are because of their light weight. Andalusian chickens love free ranging and foraging looking for their own meals.
Andalusian blue chickens are extremely nervous, flightily and noisy. They do well on deep litter method only with their own kind. Integrating them with other breeds will lead to bullying, pecking and feather picking.
Blue Wyandotte
Wyandotte chickens are among the breeds endemic to the United States. They are named after a Wendat tribe that lived in New York and Canada.
It is believed that Dark Brahmas were crossed with Spangled Hamburg’s and the resulting offspring was a Wyandotte bird.
Blue laced Wyandotte chickens are calm, quiet and social birds. They will get close to you for tasty treats like corn and mealworms but will not let you hold them or sit them on your lap.
Their temperament can vary with different strains with some preferring human company while others preferring to spend most of their time with their kind.
Blue Wyandotte chickens like to roam and range on the barnyard collecting tasty grubs, seeds, insects and foraging on weeds.
These chickens have fluffy feathers, are broad and with deep bodies making them cold tolerant. They have a rose comb that is a good indication of a cold tolerant chicken breed.
Additionally, the combs, wattles and earlobes are red in color. Legs should be clean and have four well-spaced toes on each foot.
Beak, skin and legs are yellow while the eyes are bay.
Blue laced red Wyandotte hens are faithful layers of 200 large eggs per year. These eggs are large and brown with speckles on them.
Blue Orpington
These fluffy egg layers are good and docile chickens. They are very friendly and are the type that will allow you to handle them on your lap to cuddle.
Orpington chickens trace their ancestry in England where they were developed. They are huge probably because they are food loving and eat a lot.
Care has be taken when feeding these chooks because they easily get obese and overweight. As we know, obese chickens are prone to joint and back problems.
If you see your chicken limping, check out on their weight. Blue Orpington chickens make good house pets where even the roosters pose no threat to your kids.
These chooks are extremely cold hardy and will do well in areas where temperatures plummet. Orpington hens are good layers of 200 large light brown eggs in a good year.
Because this breed has thick feathers, expect them to suffer from heat stress during summer. When hot, ensure they have enough shaded areas to shelter from direct sun.
Plenty of clean drinking water will help keep their bodies cool and well hydrated when the weather is hot.
Jersey Giant Chickens
This is a giant chicken breed for sure. These birds are popular for their heavy weight being heavier than some small turkey breeds.
A mature jersey giant rooster weighs 14lbs while a hen can weigh 10lbs or even more when well fed. These chickens are very calm, quiet and docile making good pets.
They are the kind that will give you enough meat for a large family as well as those tasty eggs for breakfast.
Jersey giant chickens trace their ancestry origin in the Eastern Pennsylvania, United States. Farmers wanted a meat bird that could replace most Asiatic chickens that had dominated the market.
This breed was developed after the Dark Brahmas, Black Java and Black Langshan chickens were crossed by Dexter. P a dedicated poultry breeder.
Jersey Blue chickens are excellent layers of 130-160 eggs per year. This number is good considering that they are meat birds.
Their eggs are brown or light brown in color. These eggs are large compared to normal chicken eggs but this is to be expected bearing in mind their body size.
Blue jersey giant chickens tend to go broody and hatch well. They take good care of their chicks but for some hatchery strains, they do not have the motherly instincts in them.
Blue Sumatra
This is blue chicken with a long tail and colored face originate from the Island of Sumatra, Indonesia in Asia. These chickens are used as show birds because of their fancy appearance.
Blue Sumatra hens and roosters have a glossy blue plumage and slate colored legs. They have a pea comb, small wattles and earlobes.
The comb, wattles and earlobes are all red in color. The tail feathers in roosters are very long calling for extra maintenance where they need a clean coop with dry chicken bedding.
Sumatra chickens are very active and require large space to roam and forage. They do not do well in confinement unlike other breeds that tolerate caging.
Blue Plymouth Rock Chicken
Blue Plymouth rocks are prolific egg layers that do well on free range. These birds love to roam and forage on their own eating all sorts of insects, grubs and weeds.
They will maturity early than most chicken breeds. At the age of 20-22 weeks, these feathered friends are ready for meat while the hens will start to lay.
Blue Plymouth rock hens are faithful egg laying machines but cannot out lay the ISA Brown hens. In a year, expect 300 large to extra-large eggs with a light brown egg shell color.
Mature blue Plymouth rock roosters weigh 6lbs while the girls weigh 4.5lbs. They have long and broad bodies with short, soft and hardy tangled feathers.
These chickens have single combs with five well- marked points. The comb, wattles and earlobes are deep red in color.
Blue rock chickens have a long lifespan and can live for more than 10 years. They are extremely hardy and can do well in any type of soil and climate.
They get broody very easy and take good care of their chicks.
White Crested Blue Polish
White crested blue polish chickens were first seen in the United States in 1800s. These chickens are good in confinement and are the kind you can raise in chicken cages.
They have a unique white crest of feathers on their heads. However, because of the head crest, these chickens cannot see properly. This makes them an easy target for predators like hawks and possums.
These chickens have white legs and feet with four well-spaced toes and short claws on each foot. The legs are clean and have no feathers on them.
Their bodies have a blue plumage but the color can range from black, light gray to almost white. A small V-shape comb is present but not visible because it is hidden in the head feathers.
White crested blue polish hens are good layers of 200 white eggs in a year. However, chickens hardly get broody and make poor mothers.
If you want some blue polish chicks, be ready to power your egg incubator or let Blue Cochin chickens hatch some for you.
Crested blue polish chickens are docile but very skittish. These easily scared chickens will often fly when trying to flee for safety when alarmed.
These calm chickens rank low on the pecking order and thus, get easily picked by rowdy hens. They are good when integrated with calm breeds like Serama chickens or their own kind.
Sapphire Olive Egger
Sapphire olive egger chickens are a new hybrid chicken breed in the poultry world. These beauties have a fancy hair do and are excellent at laying some olive colored eggs.
These blue chickens can easily adapt on every climate making them a versatile breed to add in your flock. Mature sapphire olive egger roosters weighs 7lbs while the hens weigh 6lbs.
Sapphire olive egger hens will lay 240 large olive colored eggs in a year. These chickens are generally calm, cool docile and outgoing birds.
They pose no threat to your kids and are the kind you can choose as pets. Sapphire olive eggers are not rowdy and will not peck or feather pick other birds when integrated.
Final Thoughts
Blue chickens are good and eye cuddly chickens to keep. Most of these breeds as we have seen are good for meat eggs and can be raised as pets.
For me, I love the way they add a unique blue color or a shade of several colors in blue on my backyard. When free ranged, some of these breeds will help control insects and weeds.
Do you want an assortment of rainbow colored eggs? Blue chicken breeds will give you them. From chocolate eggs, olive, white, light to speckled eggs because these chooks are wonderful layers.
Do you have any blue chickens? Share your views.
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