Here we will discuss everything you need to know about Sapphire Gem Chicken Male Vs Female and the Pros And Cons.
As a chicken enthusiast, you must be aware that hens and roosters play different roles in a flock. Keep reading to learn more.
Sapphire Gem chickens are among the most productive chicken breeds that you can add to your flock. You can keep these chickens for both meat and egg production. There are other benefits that come with raising backyard chickens on your farm.
Benefits Of Sapphire Gem Hens
Here are some of the benefits that come with keeping Sapphire Gem hens.
Eggs
Most chicken keepers raise hens for the purpose of producing fresh eggs for their family consumption or to sell and make profits.
Sapphire Gen hens are prolific layers and can lay 4 to 5 eggs in a week. This translates to about 290 eggs in a year. The birds start laying eggs at the age of 17 to 24 weeks.
If you have been looking for a hen that will ensure that you have a steady supply of eggs throughout the year, then a Sapphire Gem hen can be a good choice.
Their eggs are nutritious with lots of minerals and nutrients. They also lay large to extra-large eggs that anyone will like.
Waste Eliminators
Sapphire Gem hens are good waste eliminators. They will feed on nearly any waste food you throw out to them.
Therefore, you can utilize any leftovers by giving them to your hens. They will also make good fertilizer if they feed on this waste food.
Pest Control
One of the best solutions to pests in your homestead is keeping Sapphire Gem hens. These hens are known for being good foragers of various pests and parasites. They like eating bugs and different types of insects.
Good Pets
Sapphire Gem hens are good pets too. They are not as expensive as other alternative pets such as dogs and cats.
They are very affectionate and love being closer to their owners. Sapphire Gem hens are also friendly and calm. If you have small children at home, they will enjoy playing with or near these lovely birds.
Cons
Here are a few cons that come with keeping Sapphire Gem hens.
Reduced productivity
Sapphire Gem hens usually get old faster as compared to their male counterparts. Once your hens get old, you will notice that their productivity reduces.
If the hen was laying 4 to 5 in a week, she may start laying 1 or 2 eggs in a week, or even none sometimes.
High cost of maintenance and care
All hens of different chicken breeds usually require good care and maintenance. Sapphire Gem chickens are not an exception.
They will need good care and maintenance in order to live a longer and more productive life. This means that your hens will need a proper diet which may require you to spend more.
Advantages of Sapphire Gem Roosters
Several states or cities do not allow their residents to have roosters in their flock. They also allow them to raise roosters. But did you know that having a rooster in your flock can bring several benefits?
No rooster, no chicks
Biologically, you can not get chicks if you do not have a rooster to mate with your hens. This means that you can only increase your Sapphire Gem chicken flock if you have a healthy rooster to mate with them for them to lay fertile eggs that can hatch.
Roosters will mate with reluctant hens in the flock and may mate with them frequently if there are fewer hens. You should keep 6 to 10 hens per rooster for a safe breeding rotation.
Fertilized eggs can be profitable.
Selling fertilized eggs can be very profitable. Chicken enthusiasts interested in raising Sapphire Gem chickens can buy fertilized eggs from you and incubate them.
To many, this is the cheapest way to start a flock at home. In addition, some people believe that it is healthy to eat fertilized eggs.
Having a Sapphire Gem rooster in your flock will ensure that you have a steady flow of fertilized eggs which can fetch you high profits.
Sapphire Gem roosters are very protective.
Like most other chicken breeds, Sapphire Gem roosters are very protective of their female counterparts and chicks from predators.
Sapphire Gem roosters are known to be aggressive, especially if they feel threatened. They tend to fight aggressively against various threats.
Whenever a Sapphire Gem rooster detects any threat or danger approaching, he will issue a call that will send the rest of the flock running for safety. He will remain behind alone to face the enemy.
This is a helpful trait, although you should always keep an eye on them. Sometimes, they can mistake curious children and adults as threats.
They look great
Sapphire Gem roosters are good-looking and add some visual excitement to your flock. Their brilliant tail display and full combs are very eye-catching.
Therefore, keeping a rooster of this breed adds a sense of completeness and color to your flock.
Like the Sapphire Gem hens, roosters, too, have their personality. You learn more about your rooster while admiring his pretty plumage. Roosters of this breed are also easy to spot from a distance.
Disadvantages of Sapphire Gem Roosters
Keeping roosters within your homestead comes with several challenges. Here are some of the challenges that come with raising Sapphire Gem roosters.
They can be noisy
Roosters of nearly all chicken breeds are generally noisy, and Sapphire Gem roosters are not an exception. They are noisy and tend to crow most of the time.
Sapphire Gem roosters are known to crow very early in the morning. This can sometimes be irritating to you as well as your neighbors.
In fact, some cities and states do not allow their residents to keep roosters within their homesteads because of the noises they are associated with. Keeping a rooster in such places may attract penalties such as heavy fines.
They are aggressive
Sapphire Gem roosters can get aggressive sometimes. They will never fail to attack whenever they feel threatened.
As mentioned earlier, they are overprotective of their hens and chicks and attack anything threatening them.
The birds are also known to fight other roosters in the flock. In addition, they can be very dangerous to small children or even your visitors.
Differences Between Hens And Roosters
Although it may not be challenging to differentiate between your rooster and hens when mature.
It can be challenging to tell whether a chick or a maturing chicken is a rooster or a hen. Here are some of the things you can look at to determine whether your chicken is a hen or a rooster.
Egg Laying
One of the obvious ways to tell if your chicken is a hen or a rooster is whether or not it lays eggs. Biologically, hens lay eggs, but roosters do not. However, hens do not start laying eggs until they are around six months old.
If your chickens are younger, you will have to check other physical traits in order to identify the sex of your chicken.
Combs and Wattles
Both roosters and hens have combs. However, as roosters grow, they will have larger, brighter, and more pronounced combs than their female counterparts. Roosters also have larger wattles than hens.
Feathers
Several feathers on chickens can help you determine whether your chicken is a rooster or a hen. Hens usually have rounder and shorter hackle feathers. On the other hand, roosters have longer and pointier hackle feathers.
Different chicken breeds have varying tail feathers. However, a rooster will have pointier, longer, and showier tail feathers.
Their tail feathers may sometimes come in different colors. They also have long saddle feathers on their backs down towards their tails. Meanwhile, hens will have rounded ones.
Behavior
Roosters usually have more strength and stamina than their female counterparts. Roosters are also more assertive, while hens tend to be timider.
As your chickens get older, you will notice that roosters will get aggressive and challenge each other while raising hackle feathers.
On the other hand, hens are primarily friendly and docile and will hardly attack anything unless they feel their young ones are being threatened.
Leg Size
The last characteristic on our list that can help you identify the difference between your rooster and hen is the leg size.
Roosters have thicker legs than hens. In most chicken breeds, roosters have pointed and sharp spurs on their legs.
Their spurs may grow to reach an inch or even more as they age. Roosters can be very dangerous with their spurs as they can use them to attack or defend themselves.
It can even be worse when your rooster is more aggressive.
Conclusion
Keeping a Sapphire Gem rooster or hen comes with various advantages as well as challenges. For instance, ens will ensure that you have a steady flow of eggs, while a rooster will be required for the eggs to be fertilized.
