Their beaks and legs lean towards black or gray in tone. Sapphire Gem chickens have single red combs, as well as red wattles. Roosters keep the white spot on their head from birth, and hens keep their necklace of grays and golds. The rest of their bodies may have tones of blue, gray, lavender, and black.Īdult Sapphire Gem chickens will be mostly bluish or grayish in color, though there have been some with a lavender tint. Males will have a white spot on their head, while the females have a “necklace” of either gray or golden spots around the neck. You can tell the males apart from the females very early on. Yet, due to their parentage, most Sapphire Gems end up having the same unique look.Ĭhicks, pullets, and cockerels all have varied appearances and are sex-linked. Since Sapphire Gems are hybrids and not considered an official breed, there is no breed standard. These chickens are worth the effort to obtain. Keep your eyes open and don’t stop searching until you get a couple, though. Being that they are hybrids, you cannot breed two Sapphire Gems and get more Sapphire Gems, unfortunately.Īlso, presently, despite already being popular in the US, Sapphire Gems can be difficult to find. Sapphire Gems get their coloring by carrying a dominant blue plumage gene. Both the Plymouth Rock and Barred Plymouth Rock breeds were created in Massachusetts around the 19 th century.

Fascinatingly, the Andalusian breed has a blue gene and is known for their excellent winter egg production. If you were thinking that Sapphire Gems look like Blue Plymouth Rocks, now you know why.Īs such, the Sapphire Gem is related to the heritage breed, Andalusian, which has been around since the 1800s. What is for certain is that the Sapphire Gem chicken first originated in the Czech Republic, when a breeder decided to cross a Blue Plymouth Rock with a Barred Plymouth Rock.

There is even some debate as to what constitutes a real “Sapphire Gem.” In fact, many breeders that do have Sapphire Gems in stock will have very little say in the description.

Before looking at this breed of chicken, here are some of the most important characteristics: AppearanceĬurrently, there is not much known about this new hybrid known as the Sapphire Gem.

Sapphire gem chicken