What are the distinct characteristics of whiting true blue hen vs rooster? What is the whiting true blue chicken? Are they a good addition to my poultry flock? Read on for a detailed explanation of the whiting true blue chicken breed and the differences between a hen and a rooster.
Whiting True Blue Chicken: Origin
The Whiting True Blue is a relatively new breed that was developed by a poultry geneticist called Dr. Tom Whiting hailing from Colorado. It is the product of cross-breeding for over a decade. Whiting true blue chickens come from crossing Ameraucana chickens with the commercial white leghorn. The chicken breed is named after the geneticist.
Dr. Whiting’s idea of creating blue layer chickens was realized only after a decade. He chose the brightest blue layers for breeding because he wanted every offspring to carry two copies of the blue egg gene and also lay 300 eggs a year.
Whiting True Blue Chicken: Characteristics
The whiting true blue chickens come in many different colors and feather patterns. But what is unique is that they lay eggs that are blue in color. While their eggs are always blue, this does not indicate the color of the chicks inside. The exciting part comes in the anonymity of the chicken’s hatchlings. You never know what color chick you are going to get.
The color of Whiting true blue chicken eggs comes in different shades including blue wheaten, blue red, lemon blue, and silver blue. The chickens’ feathers color ranges from solid blue, black, and black-breasted red.
Since the common leghorn is an ancestor of the Whiting true blue chicken it has also inherited their egg-laying capabilities. The Whiting chicken produces up to 300 eggs per year.
The Whiting true blue chickens have yellow legs and pea combs, a characteristic of the leghorn. Sometimes they have beards too.
While this chicken produces blue eggs, the color is more stretched out and paler if the egg is big. So for Dr. Whiting, it was also important to maintain the size of the eggs to prevent the color from stretching out.
Whiting true blue chickens are charismatic by nature. They prefer free-ranging, are not very susceptible to touch, and don’t behave too well in confinement. However, they are quite friendly and non-aggressive.
This breed of chicken gets hungry and thirsty pretty fast due to their activeness. They must be supplied with a constant supply of water to keep them hydrated.
The Whiting chicken loves to free-range and would gain much of their nutrition from pastures if allowed. But if the pastures are inadequate, you will have to supplement with enough feed. The energy levels of the birds are directly proportionate to the amount of food they take in. Typically, they have high energy levels.
The whiting true blue chickens are generally noisy like most chickens. They have a good tolerance to heat and are ideal for hot and tropical climates. Just make sure they are well-hydrated.
With whiting true blue chickens, you will have to keep note of their energy levels at all times. Anything less than their usual behavior is a cause for concern. Low energy levels might affect their egg production.
The beautiful blue of these birds is caused by a pigment called oocyanin. It is a byproduct of bile production. The size of their eggs varies. They produce large-sized eggs if given proper nutrition and care. The blue pigment can go through the shell’s material and they are blue inside out.
The whiting true blue chickens are an ideal addition to any farmer who loves a unique variation in their eggs and wants a large and consistent egg production. They lay more than the average 250 eggs and year and are very energetic creatures. These chickens are ideal for small farms and homesteads.
How do chickens lay eggs without a male? Read to know.
Whiting True Blue Hen vs. Rooster
What are the differences between a whiting true blue hen vs rooster? It might be challenging to differentiate between a pullet and a cockerel at 5 weeks because they all look the same and have combs. However, at six weeks you will notice that the combs of cockerels are comparatively bright red and they have longer tail feathers. You will also note that they are comparatively more aggressive. Read this for further guidelines for sexing your chickens.
The main purpose of raising whiting true blue chickens is their beautiful blue eggs. So what use do you have with a cockerel? If you mean to breed more chickens and your flock is quite small, you can keep a whiting rooster. They will help keep the hens in order and to fertilize their eggs.
However, too many of them will cause too much noise and chaos on your farm. Since it would take 5-6 weeks to determine if a chick is a pullet or cockerel you can’t help but grow them out. If you don’t want roosters, you can have the roosters for meat and feed them to predators.
Read this to know what hatcheries do with male chicks! The horrifying truth behind commercial hatcheries!
Whiting true blue hens vs rooster: Conclusion
Whiting true blue chickens are the product of a decade of cross-breeding between Ameraucana and the leghorn. The result is highly energetic chickens that can lay up to 300 beautiful blue eggs a year.
Also read: What is an Americauna cross chicken called?
