Silverudd Blue Chicken breed is a delightful pet and an excellent egg producer. This adorable, hardy chicken, also known as an Isbar Chicken, is relatively new in the poultry world.
It lays green-tinted, speckled eggs. Raising chickens in the backyard is a joyous and rewarding experience. Chickens can serve as lively companions and provide a sustainable food supply.
One of the best chicken breeds you can add to your backyard flock is the Silverudd Blue Chicken breed.
They are excellent layers that can lay eggs throughout the year if provided with good care and proper nutrition. They are docile birds that love to forage and are good at saving their food for rainy days.
If you wonder whether Silverudd Blue Chicken is the right chicken breed for you, you have come to the right place.
This article will discuss everything you need to know about this adorable, productive chicken, including its history, appearance, and temperaments. Keep reading to learn more.
History of The Silverudd Blue Chicken
Silverudd Blue Chicken breed was created in the 1980s by Martin Silverudd, a Swedish pastor.
He wanted to create an egg-laying chicken that was hardy and easy to raise and came in various colors.
Martin Silverudd crossed New Hampshire with a small, more productive Rhode Island Red to create a new chicken breed.
He included descendants of the Cream Legbar that he imported in the 1950s to create the gene that would produce a blue eggshell.
He then bred the Legbar gene with the New Hampshire and Rhode Island brown egg gene to get an Isbar chicken with distinct green-colored eggs.
There is nothing more noted about the origin of these adorable chickens, but according to Martin, the Silverudd notes he raised Australorps on his farm.
He likely used the Australorp to create the Isbar with its distinct blue plumage. A gene drive caused a wide body size, color, and shape variation.
The Isbar or Sliverudd Blue Chicken breed was not Martin Silverudd first masterpiece. His goal was to dive deeply into genetics and create several chicken breeds.
He wanted to create birds that could lay many eggs with unique colors. During his research, he created breeding protocols later used by other scientists and breeders.
However, his greatest achievement was the creation of the Silverudd Blue Chicken breed, a beautiful and productive race.
To honor Martin Silverudd, the name Isbar was officially changed from Isbar Chicken to Silverudd Blue.
During the annual meeting of the Swedish Hen Cultural Association in 2016, they decided to clear the confusion that the name Isbar brought to the poultry industry.
This confusion stemmed from the suffix “bar,” meaning the chicken is barred or has stripes on its feathers, which the Isbar did not have.
The Blue Isbar may have been mixed up with another Silverudd-developed breed. That breed was barred and also laid green-tinted eggs.
Silverudd Blue Chicken Appearance
The Silverudd Blue Chicken is a medium-sized, single-crested, highly dimorphic breed. Like most other chicken breeds, roosters are slightly larger than hens.
Roosters can get as heavy as 5.5 pounds, while hens weigh up to 3.5 pounds when fully grown. These adorable chickens come in blue, black, and splash colors.
Black hens of this chicken breed are pure black throughout with a beetle-green iridescence.
While roosters share the same glistening black feathers and are adorned with birchen hackle and saddle feathers.
Blue hens of this breed tend to have a solid grey color all over the body. They may have darker areas on their head and neck or have darker-tipped feathers giving the appearance of lacing.
On the other hand, Blue roosters tend to have birchen hackles and saddles like the black variety.
Splash chicks hatch out as either buttery white or pure white. Speckles of blue (splashing) come out after about two weeks. Hens are either splash all over or have some degree of birchen.
On the other hand, roosters have white or blue feathering in the neck area.
It is important to note that most chickens in this chicken breed do not procreate true to color.
The Silverudd Blue Chicken is originally black and was created by crossing two birds from the same variety.
The Silverudd Blue Chicken Personality and Temperament
Silverudd Blue Chickens are known for their docile and friendly nature. Many chicken keepers have said these birds are a joy to be with because of their easy-going personalities.
They are a favorite for many backyard breeders and poultry enthusiasts because of their sweet personalities.
Chicks are friendly, too, but they can get skittish at times. However, if you give them some treats, they can make great companions.
On the other hand, adult Silverudd Blue Chickens are less aggressive. They are affectionate birds that love to be around their owners.
They are also friendly to other birds. However, you should raise them alongside other docile and friendly chicken breeds to avoid bullying.
Although these birds are friendly, they will rarely back down on predators. Like roosters of most other chicken breeds, Isbar roosters are alert and fiercely protect the rest of the flock regardless of the breed.
These birds are wary of newcomers and will watch if someone occupies their space. Silverudd Blue moms can be quite the disciplinarian.
They will peck their baby chicks’ heads when they misbehave. Also, they are extra protective of their eggs, so getting them when brooding can be quite challenging.
These birds are known to be excellent foragers. They are intelligent and agile chickens that can make exceptional explorers.
If you have a large backyard, you should allow them to roam freely. This can help you save on the cost of their feed. Isbar chickens are also great savers and love to feed early on.
This is one of the best breeds if you want a friendly chicken breed for your kids. They are great first pets for children because of their sweet and friendly personalities.
You can teach your kids about sustainability and responsibility while raising these gracious and productive chickens.
While this is the general personality of Silverudd Blue Chickens, it is essential to note that every chicken can be unique in personality and temperament.
The Silverudd Blue Chicken Egg Production
The Isbar chicken is one of the best egg-laying chicken breeds you can add to your backyard flock. This prolific and consistent egg-laying chicken can produce four to 5 eggs per week.
This translates to between 200 and 250 eggs per year. The most exciting part about their egg-laying capability is their beautiful green-tinted eggs.
The shade of the eggs can go from pale green to a delicate olive. Some eggs may have gentle brown speckles, making them the most captivating.
Like other chicken breeds, your Sliverudd Blue Chicken breed will need good care and proper nutrition to be more productive.
Despite their small size, the Silverudd Blue Chicken breed lays large-sized eggs. However, a young hen or a pullet will lay a smaller egg, about ⅔ the size of the eggs from mature hens.
Since these chickens are cold-hardy, they can lay eggs even during winter. They are known to produce all year round and can adapt to different weather conditions.
Most hens start laying eggs when five to six months old. However, some hens would only start producing on the 7th-month mark due to shortening days.
Once they start laying, production will be consistent and reliable. According to the Silverudd Blue breeders’ shared standard, birds that lay brown eggs must be weeded out to produce consistent green egg layers.
It would be best to use homozygous chickens for the blue egg gene to ensure the production of the prized green eggs.
Silverudd Blue Chicken Health Issues
Silverudd Blue Chickens are healthy chickens with not so many health issues. They are hardy chickens that can thrive in both hot and cold climates.
However, like other chicken breeds, these birds can be prone to various health issues and parasites, such as mites and lice.
The following are the common Silverudd Blue Chicken health issues.
Chronic Respiratory Disease
Backyard chickens with lowered immunity systems are prone to viruses and bacteria that cause chronic respiratory disease (CRD). Your Silverudd Blue chickens can be susceptible to this disease.
The common symptoms include sneezing, sniffling, and coughing. To check if your chickens have these signs, observe from a distance as they stop these actions when they know someone is watching.
You can control the disease by reducing the source of stress on the chickens. You will also want to consult a veterinarian about antibiotics that can help with the treatment.
If you buy your first batch of chicks, ensure they come from unrelated flocks to avoid inbreeding depression.
Immunosuppression
While these birds are usually healthy and robust, some chickens could suffer from immunosuppression if there had been inbreeding.
The chicken’s performance, growth, and health are affected when antibodies and cells become depressed.
Conclusion
Silverudd Blue Chickens or Isbar chickens are relatively easy to handle and can be a great addition to any backyard flock. Their friendly and docile nature makes them excellent for backyard chicken keepers.
Under good care and proper nutrition, they can lay up to 250 eggs per year.
As with other chicken breeds, they can be prone to various health issues, such as Chronic Respiratory Disease and Immunosuppression.
