Picking the perfect chicken breeds for your flock can be a daunting task. There are so many options, and each one comes with its own set of traits and pros and cons. But fear not! Here is an informative list that includes some of our favorite blue feathered chickens, all in one place. These birds will bring joy to your heart while providing eggs to feed your family!
The Genetics that Make Chickens Blue
The blue coloration in blue chickens is due to the blue pigment Porphyrin. This blue pigment is produced by cells called Cyanophil cells. These cells are located around the poultry’s feather follicles, although they can sometimes be found in the skin as well.
Strijd tegen de tijd testogel kopen eva luchtverlies vergoeding – kimblegterc2.The blue pigment can vary from light blue to dark blue, depending on how much of it is present. Turkey meat doesn’t have any blue color at all since the bird does not have these pigmented cells. Genetics also decides whether a bird will produce white or blue eggs. The dominant allele causes the birds to lay white eggs, while recessive alleles determine if an egg will be blue or pink/red/brown.
List of Blue Chicken Breeds
1. Andalusian Blue Chicken
This Andalusian blue chicken is blue all over with black, grey, or even dark blue shanks. The Andalusian chicken is not only blue but also a very active breed that provides entertainment for the whole family.
2. Blue Russian Orloff Chicken
The blue variety of this Russian Orloff chicken breed has white feathers on its knobby feet and beak, while the hen is an overall lighter blue than the rooster. It has a single comb with five points and produces light brown eggs in large amounts.
2. Blue Laced Red Wyandotte Chicken
This blue-laced Wyandotte breed bears a resemblance to the Silver laced Wyandotte. The blue coloration varies from a lighter blue to a darker blue shade and is best known for producing eggs! Blue Wyandotte chickens are one of the most popular blue chicken breeds due to their ability to lay large amounts of brown eggs.
3. Columbian Wyandotte Chicken
These blue chickens have black tails and muffs, a single comb with four points, and red ear lobes. Columbian Wyandotte Chickens lay blue eggs regularly while roosters display a handsome cinnamon plumage as adults.
4. Blue Australorp Chicken
The blue variety of this large black breed is a very popular blue chicken. It has a well-rounded appearance and is an incredibly active bird that does best in free-range systems. Blue Australorp chickens produce blue eggs and are also known for their dual-purpose qualities as meat and egg producers.
5. Buff Orpington Rooster and Hen
This popular buff Orpington blue-colored chicken is blue underneath with slightly darker feathers around the neck and back. The blue coloration on these chickens will vary from light blue to deep blue, depending on which bloodline it came from.
6. Blue Jersey Giant Chicken
This giant breed of chicken bears beautiful blue plumage that contrasts nicely against its white skin. Its rose comb is completely red with five points, making it quite different compared to other blue chicken breeds.
7. Blue Barnevelder Chicken
This blue breed is known for producing blue eggs, which was the main reason it made this list. They also lay well and look beautiful in any backyard system. The double laced barnevelder chicken breed is somewhat similar to silver laced barnevelder chicken.
8. Blue Buff Minorca Chicken
Minorcas can be blue or black with blue shanks and yellow legs. Their light blue-grey plumage makes them a pretty addition to any backyard flock, and they will produce blue eggs regularly. That is why most people prefer investing their money in blue buff Minorca chicken.
9. Blue Buff Laced Polish Chicken
The distinctively colored crest on this breed’s head gives it a gorgeous appearance when in full feather. Blue Buff laced Polish crested chickens are rare but make nice show hens, as their appearance really stands out from other chickens!
10. Light Blue Sussex Chicken
Light Blue Sussex Chickens have blue bills, blue legs, and blue earlobes, while the roosters have a beautiful reddish-brown color. This blue speckled Sussex chicken breed has a docile temperament and is known for its good egg production.
11. Blue Laced Red Wyandotte
While technically not its own breed, the blue coloration on this variety comes from the red laced gene, which can be found in many different breeds of chickens! Its rose comb is typically five-pointed with smooth edges. The blue feathering on this bloodline is typically lighter or darker blue depending upon which bird it came from, with some blues fading to grey over time.
12. Blue Swedish Flower Chicken
The blue feathers on this Swedish flower hen are very light in color, and it has blue legs and white earlobes. This blue Swedish flower chicken is reported to be an excellent forager, producing blue eggs in large numbers.
13. Blue Ameraucana Chicken
The blue coloration on the blue version of this breed comes from its black-tailed buff gene. The blue Ameraucana chicken is considered a dual-purpose breed but the blue variety lays blue eggs while its black counterpart does not.
14. Silver Laced Blue Campine Chicken
This silver Campine chicken has feathered feet, five points to its comb, and blue ear lobes! It is another rare breed that lays blue eggs in great numbers when in good health.
15. Blue Bresse Gauloise Chicken
This blue breed of Bresse Gauloise chicken comes from France and is known to be a good egg producer. Its blue plumage is typically lighter or darker depending upon which bloodline it came from.
16. Blue Sumatra Chicken
These blue chickens are often called “the blue jungle fowl” due to their similar appearance to wild game birds. The blue variety of this breed lays blue eggs, while the other colors lay green eggs.
17. Blue Cochin Chicken
The blue coloration of this breed comes from the black-tailed white gene. The blue Cochin is a cold-hardy breed that will lay blue eggs in good health.
18. Light Sussex Speckled Chicken
This blue chicken has dark blue speckles on its white feathers and lays blue eggs! It also bears a rose comb with five points, making it quite different when compared to other blue chicken breeds.
19. Blue OEGB Chicken
The blue color in this breed comes from a black-tailed buff gene. It is a European heritage chicken breed capable of laying green eggs in large numbers when in good health! The blue OEGB chicken is what you really want inside your barn if you are serious about it.
20. Kashmir Bantam Chicken
This bantam variety is very similar to the Jersey Giant and is blue in color. Like other blue chicken breeds, it has five pointed rose combs and blue earlobes. This blue bantam lays blue eggs like its larger counterpart as well!
21. Blue Salmon Faverolles Chicken
This beautiful French breed has salmon-pink skin and blue feathering on its wings, back, and the sides of its breast. Their blue earlobes and legs contrast nicely against their red wattles and face. They show beautifully, but due to their size, they are calm enough for backyard flocks. The Salmon Faverolles lays around 150-180 eggs per year, which are blue in color, just like the hens! There you have it, the top eleven list of blue chickens to show you which blue chicken breeds are out there!
22. Blue Copper Maran Chicken
This blue breed comes from France and is a beautiful blue color with black tails. The blue Marans has a distinctive tuft on the top of its head, which gives it a “mushroom” appearance. It’s very popular with the general public due to how unique it looks!
23. Blue Welsummer Chicken
The blue feathers on the blue version of this breed come from a black-tailed buff gene. This variety was created by crossing a Black Sumatra hen with a blue Wyandotte rooster, hence the brownish blue body coloration. This medium-sized dual-purpose bird lays around 200 eggs per year that are blue in color.
24. Rhode Island Blue Chicken
This breed, also known as the Rhode Island blue Cochin, is blue in color, with five points to its comb. The blue Cochin bears blue earlobes and lays blue eggs like most blue chicken breeds. They are calm birds, but they do need extra care to keep them happy due to their size!
What is the most expensive blue chicken breed?
The blue Sussex Spangled chicken is the most expensive blue chicken breed due to its rarity. This variety was developed in Britain by mating a Black Minorca cock with White Leghorn hens, but they are nowhere to be found outside of Britain!
How do you breed blue chickens?
To breed blue chickens, you need two blue chickens in order to get blue chicks. Two yellow/golden chickens cannot produce any other color since the only gene it has is for its coat color!
How do I sex a blue chicken?
The same way you sex any other chicken, by venting them or using an egg collector on hens. Vent sexing can be done with newly hatched chicks if there are many of them together and they are still fluffy enough for you to see the differences between males and females. If not, just wait until around three months of age when both sexes have developed under tails that are easy to tell apart. Although remember that there are always exceptions, so just because one chick is different from the others doesn’t mean you have a rooster!
What are the world’s biggest and smallest blue chicken breeds?
The world’s biggest and smallest blue chickens can be found among Silkie and bantam varieties. The largest one is the European Bresse, while the smallest silkies include both birchen (the Japanese version) and frizzle varieties!
