Sapphire Gem Chicken All You Need To Know: Temperament and Egg Laying

The Sapphire Gem Chicken is currently taking the chicken world by storm!

This is mainly because of their stunning appearance. These chickens wear shades of lavender and blue on their feathers and have a necklace-like pattern of gold or gray around their necks resembling a string of gems.

Combine these two traits together and you get the Sapphire Gem Chicken.

However these chickens are also fantastic egg layers and are friendly with humans.

Did that little snippet of information pique your interest?

Keep reading to learn more about this beautiful chicken…

Sapphire Gem Chicken Overview

The Sapphire Gem Chicken has recently taken the chicken world by storm!

They are a relatively new breed and were created by crossing a Blue Plymouth Rock and a Barred Plymouth Rock.

Sapphire Gems are best known for their unique and striking appearance.

They are a blue or lavender color and closely resemble the Plymouth Rock chicken in appearance.

Although they are often kept for their beautiful appearance, they are actually excellent egg layers as well. They lay approximately 280 eggs a year, which equals around 5-6 eggs a week. Due to their body size they are able to lay large to extra-large sized eggs.

Not much is known about their history but many believe that they originated in the Czech Republic.

Because of this they are very cold-hardy, and healthy chickens.

This breed is able to tolerate warm and cold temperatures easily due to their feathers and single comb.

You should expect to pay approximately $3 to $5 per chick; however, the price can go even lower if you are purchasing in large quantities.

Appearance

They are not officially recognized by the American Poultry Association. Because of this they do not have an official appearance standard.

However, you can expect them to be an eye-catching blue and lavender color.

You can only find Sapphire Gem Chickens with either lavender or blue feathering.

Their body and build will closely resemble the appearance of a Plymouth Rock Chicken. Expect a robust and sturdy-looking chicken with a single comb.

Interestingly they are sex-linked which means you can tell the difference between males and females as chicks. Males will have a white dot on their heads and females will have a necklace of gray or gold spots.

Size and Weight

This is a medium-sized breed.

Although they are big enough to be meat birds they are most often kept for their egg laying and unique appearance.

Roosters will weigh about seven pounds and females will weigh about six pounds.

What Is It Like To Own A Sapphire Gem Chicken?

If you are looking for a friendly and gorgeous flock member then Sapphire Gem Chickens are an excellent choice for you.

Due to their general hardiness they are an excellent beginner breed. Their docile and friendly temperament makes them excellent with children and other family pets too.

These chickens are independent and easy to care for. All you need to do is let them roam and they will easily occupy themselves by spending their time foraging for snacks and seeds in the yard.

Although they are able to tolerate cold temperatures you must keep a close eye on them for frostbite.

Overall these chickens are perfect for beginners due to being very low-maintenance and hands-off.

You should expect them to live anywhere from five to ten years on average.

What We Love About This Breed

• Gorgeous feathering and unique colors.
• They are excellent egg layers and lay up to 290 large eggs a year.
• Able to live in a variety of different temperatures (from extremely warm to cold).
• Get along well with other breeds.
• Very easy to care for which makes them a perfect choice for beginners.

Personality

These chickens are very friendly and well-mannered.

You can expect them to generally be very calm (even when under stress).

Due to their friendly temperament they tend to get along well with other breeds in the flock. This also means that they will make the perfect addition to a family with young children and pets.

Egg Production

Sapphire Gem Chickens are excellent egg layers.

They will lay around 5 eggs a week. They also mature fairly quickly which means hens will start laying when they are around four to six months old.

This breed is not known for their broodiness which makes them great for flock owners looking for reliable egg layers.

Noise Levels

This breed is not known for being noisy or very vocal.

You should still expect some chatter throughout the day and early mornings if you have roosters. If you are keeping roosters then they would do best in a rural area where there are no noise restrictions or neighbors. Hens will be fine in the suburbs.

Sapphire Gem Chicken Care Guide

Although the care requirements of all chickens are fairly similar, there are some things you need to keep in mind specifically for this breed.

This section will help you to learn more about the unique care needs of your Sapphire Gem Chicken.

Health Issues

Overall this is a very healthy and hardy chicken.

The main thing to watch for with this breed is the usual lice, worms and parasites. These can affect any breed no matter how resilient they are to illness or environmental conditions.

Apart from this a healthy diet will help make sure that your chickens remain healthy for many years to come (more on this later).

Feeding

It is very important to feed your chickens a well-balanced and healthy diet.

As chicks you should feed them a 18%-24% protein chick feed.

After your hens start laying a high-protein diet is recommended. This will make sure that your chickens have enough energy to be active. It also ensures that your hens have enough protein and nutrients to remain healthy and to lay strong-shelled eggs.

The easiest way to meet their needs is to give them a laying hen poultry feed.

Coop Setup and Roaming

The minimum requirement of four square feet per chicken inside the coop is enough for this breed.

Whilst they do tolerate confinement well they are natural foragers and should be allowed to roam if possible. It would make them much happier. They are also highly sensitive and perceptive to their environment. This gives them the ability to sense potential predators in their environment and safely avoid them.

If you do not have enough space for them to free range then you will need to make the dimensions of the coop larger. Also if you are keeping your Sapphire Gems in an enclosed run then you need to make sure that it is safe and secure from predators.

Breed History

Sapphire Gem Chickens are a relatively new breed.

They are so new that they are not yet recognized by the American Poultry Association. This is most likely due to the fact that they are a new breed. It is a time-consuming and difficult process to develop a standard, which is the most likely reason why they are not yet recognized.

Also because of their relatively new status there is not much known about where they originated from. However, it is generally agreed that they came from the Czech Republic.

They were most likely the result of crossing a Blue Plymouth Rock and a Barred Plymouth Rock. This resulted in their unique appearance and excellent egg laying qualities.

Sapphire Gem Chicken Pictures

Summary

When you think about their name you might imagine a classic white-feathered Leghorn with a necklace of sapphire blue gems around their neck. Although that is not their actual appearance, they are still truly refined and classy in appearance.

After reading this article hopefully you have learned a lot about the actual Sapphire Gem Chicken.

Because they are not yet officially recognized as a breed by the American Poultry Association, there is a lot of room for interesting variation and colors in their feathers.

If you are looking for a new flock member then this breed is worthy of your consideration.

Their eye-catching looks and peaceful temperament are unmatched.

The best thing about them, aside from their appearance, is the fact that they are excellent egg layers. They are known to lay more than 290 large to extra-large sized eggs a year.

Sapphire Gem Chickens are true beauties with their lavender and blue coloring. Pair that with a stunning dark, gold, or gray neck coloring and you have a truly unique breed that will surely be the centerpiece of the flock!

What is your favorite thing about this breed? Let us know in the comments section below…