Have you been asking yourself what color eggs do Sapphire Gem chickens lay? Worry no more. We have an answer for you.
Sapphire Gems have become a popular chicken breed in the poultry scene over the past few years.
Many breeders and chicken keepers are now adding these lovely birds to the flock. They are widely known and considered as one of the best egg-producing chicken breeds.
The Sapphire Gem chickens lay brown eggs. If you want white eggs, you will have to go for the Sapphire Chicken, a different breed of chicken.
What Size Eggs Does A Sapphire Gem Chicken Lay?
Generally, Sapphire Gem hens lay fairly large eggs that are brown in color. According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s egg sizing, the breed’s eggs weigh at least 57 grams and not more than 64 grams on average.
How Many Eggs Do Sapphire Gem Hens Lay?
Sapphire Gem chickens are one of the most prolific layers. Under good health conditions and a proper diet, the birds can lay 5 to 6 eggs in a week. This translates to about 300 eggs in a year.
They are good year-round layers. Unlike most other breeds of chicken, the Sapphire Gems tend to lay throughout and do not take several months off during winter.
If you have several of these in your backyard flock, you can be sure of having a steady flow of eggs throughout the year to either share with family and friends or even sell to make profits.
Sapphire Gem Chicken History
Since Sapphire Gems are a newer chicken breed in the poultry world, a lot is not known about them. Currently, the breed is still not recognized by the American Poultry Association.
Most breeders and chicken enthusiasts believe that the birds were first bred in the Czech Republic. Some people refer to these birds as the Blue Sapphire Plymouth Rock because they are more likely a mix between a Barred Plymouth Rock and a Blue Plymouth Rock.
This is why the Sapphire Gem chickens have such a unique appearance with the same egg-laying abilities as other Plymouth Rocks.
Sapphire Gem Chicken Appearance
Since the birds are not officially recognized breeds, they do not have a breed standard. However, here is what you can expect them to look like at various stages of life.
Egg Color
As stated earlier, Sapphire Gem hens usually lay brown eggs. The eggs are fairly larger compared to the average eggs of other chicken breeds. Most people believe that the bird’s eggs are blue like their feathers. However, this popular belief is not true.
Chick and Pullet Appearance
The color of Sapphire Gem pullets and chicks may vary. Most of them may be more black or blue, while others are lavender or closer to gray. You can easily tell the sex of your chicks a few days after hatching.
A male Sapphire Gem pullet or chick will have a white spot on the head like an adult. On the other hand, their female counterparts normally have gray spots or a necklace of gold.
What Color Is an Adult Sapphire Gem
If you have ever been near a flock of sapphire gem chickens or you have seen their pictures, then you would have noticed that both the male and female birds have lavender and blue feathers.
However, there are also slight differences between the two sexes when they mature. You can distinguish roosters by their blue feathers and a white spot on their wings or head. On the other hand, hens have blue feathers with a patch of gold or grey feathers on their necks.
Sapphire Gems have a single comb as well as an upright posture that is more upright than most other chicken breeds. Their feathers can sometimes look more lavender than blue.
Size and Weight
These lovely birds are usually medium-sized when fully grown. On average, a hen will weigh about four to six pounds. On the other hand, roosters are typically larger than their female counterparts can weigh six to eight pounds.
Sapphire Gem Chicken Personality
If you are planning to keep chickens for the first, then the Sapphire Gems are one of the best options for you. They are considered good for beginners because of their friendly and easy-going temperaments.
They are generally docile and calm chickens. This makes them friendly and well-behaved even when around small children.
Because of their willingness to be held and cuddle with their owners, most chicken enthusiasts consider keeping them as pets instead of livestock or birds for commercial purposes. They have one of the best chicken temperaments overall.
Broodiness
Sapphire Gem chickens are good egg layers. However, they are not known to be broody. They are suitable for farmers who just want to raise their chickens for egg production.
If you have several chickens of this breed within your flock, you will also find out that only a few of them may tend to go broody.
You can try to encourage or train your hens to sit on their eggs if you want them to hatch. Besides, you can use an incubator to hatch their eggs.
Noise Level
As stated earlier, Sapphire Gem chickens are generally calm and docile. They are rarely noisy, and you can expect them not to make much noise at all.
However, this may not be the same for their roosters. Adult male chickens of nearly all breeds are mostly aggressive and noisy. A Sapphire Gem rooster is not an exception.
Therefore, you should expect some sounds, especially in the morning, if you have a Sapphire Gem rooster in your flock. Hens will chatter a little bit in the day, but not beyond that.
Do Sapphire Gem Chickens Get Along Well with Other Animals?
Sapphire Gems are friendly birds that will get along well with any other animal. Therefore, you can be sure that they will do well if kept with other chickens of different breeds in the same flock.
Their roosters can be slightly aggressive, although not much aggressive as roosters of other breeds.
If you are keeping these chickens with other breeds, you will have to make sure that they are friendly too.
Sapphire Gems can be victims of aggression from other hostile birds. They can mistake large animals for predators and be scared of them.
Sapphire Gem Chicken Care Requirements
Caring for Sapphire Gem chickens is not very hard. It is not much different from taking care of other chicken breeds. Before adding these prolific layers to your flock, here is everything you need to know.
Diet
Your birds will require a well-balanced diet in order to live a long and more productive life. Any chicken breed should receive a proper feed at every life stage.
Your Sapphire Gem chicks will require plenty of protein to support their growing bodies. Therefore, you can start them with a feed that has 18% to 25% protein.
As the chicks get older, you slightly decrease the amounts of protein you are feeding them. Once your chicken has started laying eggs, you will have to feed them on adult layers feed with a little extra protein.
Their diet should also include calcium feeds to aid in the formation of strong eggshells. Feeding your hens on extra protein and nutrients will also ensure that they lay eggs with strong and healthy shells.
Coop Setup
For successful poultry keeping, you will require a good coop setup. Your coop should be large enough to accommodate all the birds in your flock.
Sapphire Gem chickens will require at least four square feet for every bird. More space will be better because they do not like being confined in smaller areas.
The birds will thrive well if allowed to free-range. Since they are good at foraging, they will get extra nutrients as they explore.
In addition, they are good at avoiding their predators as they are more alert and observant as compared to most other breeds.
It is safe to let your Sapphire Gem birds roam freely because they rarely run away unless they feel threatened by something.
If you provide them with basic necessities such as shelter and food, they will return to their coop in the evening on their own. It is good to keep your birds in the coop since that is when their predators are most active.
Temperature
Sapphire Gems can do well in nearly all types of temperatures. However, you will have to take extra precautions during extreme weather.
Since they have a single comb, their biggest concern is frostbite in the winter. You can provide them with plenty of shelters to keep them warm whenever the weather dips below freezing. Buying a coop heater will also help to keep them warm.
In the same, you will require plenty of clean water to keep your chickens cool. You can also offer them cold snacks like frozen fruits to assist with hydration. The coop should be well-ventilated with shades outside.
Health Concerns
These chickens are considered hardy birds with fewer health issues. This means that their concerns are the same as most other chicken breeds. They are born healthy birds without any hereditary health problems.
The most common health concern is parasites. Some of the common parasites that you must check regularly and treat include lice, worms, and mites.
They can be a big threat to your chickens if not properly cared for. You can keep pests and parasites away by keeping the coop clean and replacing their water and food regularly. To keep your chickens fit and healthy overall, you will have to feed them on a balanced diet.
Conclusion
If you have been asking yourself the color of Sapphire Gem chicken eggs, you have an answer. They lay large brown eggs and can start laying eggs at the age of five months.
