Blue chicken breeds are one of the favorites of poultry raisers. I love these chickens with blue feathers.
If you want to raise a blue chicken breed, this guide will help you to choose one. These dark blue chickens will enhance your flocks.
Their blue color is fascinating and may become a unique collection. Blue chickens are mostly varieties of breeds, but few chickens are pure blue.
Below is a list of some of the most common blue chicken breeds you might want to add to your poultry farm. A few are the best egg layers in this list, and a few are wonderful meat chickens.
1. Rhode Island Blue
They are a blend of the Australorps and the Rhode Island Reds. Sometimes you may get Rhode Island Blue by crossbreeding Blue Orpingtons and Rhode Island Reds.
A mature rooster usually weighs around 8 lbs, while a mature hen usually weighs around 6.5 lbs. The hens of this chicken breed have a very calm temperament.
The RIBs are very good egg-laying chickens. On average, you can expect to receive around 200-250 large brown eggs per year.
2. Blue Ameraucana
The Blue Ameraucana chickens are very beautiful chicken breeds. You will fall in love with their muffs, beards, and their style.
You will get around 180-200 blue color eggs from this breed. A standard-size Blue Ameraucana rooster weighs about 6.5 lbs, and a hen about 5.5 lbs. Bantam roosters weigh 30 oz, and hens from 25 oz.
The country of origin of this breed is the United States. They are great pets and love to play with children in your backyard.
3. Blue Andalusian
The Blue Andalusian is a small-bodied chicken with beautiful bluish feathers. Their origin traces back to Andalusia. They are friendly birds and love to forage.
The average weight of a Standard Blue Andalusian rooster is about 7.5 lbs, while the average weight of a bantam rooster is about 24 oz. A standard hen weighs about 6 lbs, and a bantam hen weighs about 20 oz.
With this breed, you usually get at least three white eggs a week or 150 eggs yearly. Their fluffy nature makes them less susceptible to diseases and adverse climates, making them easier to rear.
4. Blue Silkies
Blue Silkie chickens are a rare variety with fluffy plumage and dark skin. Though primarily kept for eggs, they only give about 100 eggs annually.
They are also notably slender compared to other breeds. Blue Silkies are typically found in bantam size.
Male and female Silkie bantams weigh 22 and 18 ounces, respectively. They are properly maintained for both ornamental and exhibition purposes.
Blue Silkie bantams are very friendly and calm chickens. They are lovely pet chickens.
5. Blue Cochin
The Blue Cochin chicken came from Asia. Blue Cochin’s, formerly called Cochinchina, come in different black, buff, and blue shades.
These birds are much more attractive than their predecessor, which looked like wildfowl.
They are big, with a male standard weight of 9.75 lbs and a female weight of 8.5 lbs. A male bantam weighs 30 oz, and a female bantam 27 oz. With this breed, you can expect at least 100 eggs a year.
They have feathers that run down to their feet. Not only this, they are more friendly than any other breed. They are raised mostly for show purposes.
6. Blue Sumatra Chicken
Blue Sumatra chickens originate from Sumatra Island and are a rare breed. They are not great layers and typically give around 100 eggs a year. Their slender bodies don’t make them great meat chickens.
A standard rooster weighs between 2.25 and 2.7 kg, and a standard hen weighs 1.8 and 2.1 kg. A male and female bantam weigh 0.735 and 0.625 kilograms, respectively.
Although their appearance is beautiful, they are also a great catch for exhibitions and as ornamentals.
7. Blue Bresse Gauloise
The Blue Bresse Gauloise chicken originated from Bresse, France. They are available in four colors, blue, black, white, and gray. This breed does not come in a bantam size, but you can see standard Blue Bresse.
The rooster weighs between 5 and 6 lbs, while the hen weighs between 4 and 5 lbs. Though slender, they are good layers with approximately 250 eggs annually. However, they are kept for meat production.
8. Blue Dutch Bantam
The Blue Dutch Bantam originated from the Netherlands. Though the breed’s eggs are relatively small, you can get about 160 white eggs yearly.
A mature male will weigh around 8.5 lbs and a bantam around 1.25 lbs. A mature hen weighs around 6.5 lbs, and a bantam around 1 lbs.
The Dutch bantam is a friendly chicken breed. They are known for their flighty nature, so you should provide them with plenty of space in the backyard.
Also read: How to Clip Chicken Wings? — To Stop Their Flying
9. Blue Plymouth Rock Chicken
The Blue Plymouth Rock breed crosses the Barred Rock and the Andalusian. The hens of this breed can lay up to 300 large brown eggs per year.
A standard male of this breed usually weighs around 9.5 lbs, with a bantam weighing around 3 lbs. A standard female will top the scale at 7.5 lbs, while a female bantam will be 2.5 lbs.
They are friendly, not quite sensitive to adverse weather, and do equally well in cold climates, thus easy to rear. This is a good choice if you want a dual-purpose chicken breed to add to your backyard.
10. Blue Delaware Chicken
The Blue Delaware Chicken is originally from the US and mainly used for meat production. They are good layers and give up to 200-220 jumbo-sized eggs annually.
They are medium-sized, with a rooster weighing 7-8 lbs and a hen 6 lbs.
The bantam Delaware roosters are 32 ounces, and the hens are 28 ounces. They like to be free to roam and are not usually calm and quiet.
11. Blue Wyandotte Chicken
The Blue Wyandotte is a cross between the Dark Brahma and the Spangled Hamburg. The breed is good for meat and eggs, so this is a dual-purpose breed.
The hens are good layers. They can lay up to 200 large size brown colored eggs per year. They love to go broody.
The average weight of Wyandotte hen is 6-7 lbs and 8-9 lbs for hens and roosters, respectively.
A female bantam rooster is 26 ounces, while a male rooster is 30 ounces. Though they are typically calm, they may often not get along with other breeds.
12. Blue Old English Game Bantam
The Blue Old English Game Bantam has different shades of plumage. The breed comes in both standard and bantam sizes. A standard-size rooster weighs 5 lbs, and a hen weighs 4 lbs.
A male bantam weighs around 22 ounces, while a female weigh around 20 ounces. They are average egg layers. You can expect 100-150 eggs per year from this breed.
They are rather aggressive but would make a great addition to your backyard flocks. The Blue Old English Game Bantams are great if you have good space in your backyard.
13. Blue Australorp Chicken
The breed traces back to the Orpington breed and is a blend of other breeds such as Minorca, Langshan, White Leghorn, and Rhode Island Reds. Blue Australorp produces more eggs than other Australorp breeds, around 250 eggs per year, which are large and brown.
A bantam rooster weighs 2-2.5 lbs, and a bantam hen is 1.5-2 lbs. Large fowls have a rooster weighing 8.5-10 lbs and a hen 6 pounds.
They are good for both meat and eggs but are also well-kept as pets, given their friendly nature.
14. Blue Copper Marans
The Marans breed of Blue Copper chicken came from France and resulted from wild game.
They are calm and get along with other breeds. Also, the hens produce about 200 large brown eggs per year.
Standard-sized roosters weigh approximately 8 lbs, while hens weigh about 6.5 lbs. People raise them for both meat and eggs.
Also read: Copper Marans breed guide
15. Blue Jersey Giants
The Blue Jersey Giant is a large breed featuring the largest breed in the world. A rooster is between 13 and 15 lbs, while a hen is between 11 and 12 lbs.
They are docile and get along well with other chicken breeds. The hens of this breed produce fairly large eggs, with approximately 150 per year. They are suitable for both eggs and meat production.
Both the rooster and hens are mellow and docile chickens. The roosters rarely become aggressive. Also, they are easy to tame, so beginner farmers can easily raise them.
16. Blue Rosecomb Bantam
The Rose Comb Bantam chickens are wonderful ornamental chickens. They have a unique, beautiful look.
They produce small cream-colored eggs. Likewise, they are not great at laying eggs and are thus mainly kept for exhibition purposes.
Rose Comb bantam chickens come in different sizes, mostly slender. A male weighs about 22 ounces, and a female weighs about 18 ounces. They are also friendly and docile chickens.
17. Sapphire Olive Eggers
The Sapphire Olive Egger is a friendly breed not sensitive to bad weather. If you are looking for a good layer, consider Sapphire Olive Eggers.
You can expect to get around 240 olive-colored eggs per year from this breed. The hen and roosters weigh up to 6.5 and 8 pounds, respectively. They blend well with other breeds and can adapt to different climates.
18. White True Blue Chicken
The White True Blue Chicken breed may have different colors, such as blue-red, silver blue, lemon blue, and blue wheaten. They are not usually docile and like to move around freely.
The White True Blue chicken is a cross between the Leghorn breed and the White chicken. It lays about 300 blue eggs a year. A mature male weighs about 7 lbs, while a hen weighs about 5 lbs.
Summary
Though these breeds are often called blue chicken breeds, they are not blue. Because they are bred from black and splash genotypes, they are black and splash. Getting a true blue is rare because blue is just a dilute color.
Blue chicken breeds include some of the friendliest and easiest-to-train chicken breeds you will ever meet. Many breeders like them because they can be used for many things.
From egg production to meat and exhibitions, blue chicken breeds will rarely fail you. Blue chicken breeds are a beautiful sight, not only because of their poultry benefit but also because they are great to show birds.
If you want to get the most out of your poultry, you can choose any blue chicken breeds above.
Howmany types in India where can I buy and price
Thanks for writing here, Ramakrishnan
I am afraid blue chickens are very hard to see in India. yes, you can see few Black Australorp chicks seller in India mart.
But I dont know they are pure breed or not.