The whiting true-blue chicken is renowned for its consistently laid blue eggs. Many people confuse them with easter egg chickens, but they are a different breed. If you were thinking about getting one of these birds for your coop but would like to know more about them first, you’ve come to the right place. Keep reading while we look into their origin, characteristics, appearance, uses, and more to help you make an educated purchase.
Quick Facts About Whiting True Blue Chickens
Breed Name:
Whiting True-Blue Chicken
Place of Origin:
United States
Uses:
Eggs
Rooster Size:
7 pounds
Chicken Size:
5.5 pounds
Color:
Gray, white, black
Lifespan:
5–10 years
Climate Tolerance:
Very good
Care Level:
Easy
Production:
300 eggs per year
Whiting True Blue Chicken Origins
A fisherman and breeder from Colorado, Tom Whiting, created the whiting true-blue chicken by mixing Ameraucana chickens with Leghorn chickens to achieve this blue egg-producing breed, which now carries his name. His goal was to create a chicken with large hackle feathers to help his fishing fly tying hobby. While trying to achieve that goal, he got the idea to create a chicken that laid blue eggs, and more than 10 years later, he succeeded and produced the first whiting true-blue chicken.
Whiting true-blue chickens can lay up to 300 eggs each year. This bird likes freedom, so you will need to provide plenty of space for it to run around, and they are perfect for free-range farms. They won’t let you handle them, but they are not aggressive either, and you can be amongst them, and they will continue with what they are doing. They are very active and will require plenty of food and water. Owners usually describe them as noisy, but they are extremely tolerant of the heat and handle cold temperatures well, making them a great choice for much of the United States.
Whiting True Blue Chicken Uses
The primary use of the whiting true-blue chicken is for eggs, and each chicken can produce up to 300 eggs per year. The colored eggs are quite popular and can fetch a nice price. They don’t produce good meat, and farmers rarely use them for that purpose.
Appearance & Varieties
You can find the whiting true-blue chicken in a wider variety of colors, including blue wheaten, blue-red, solid blue, black, black-breasted red, and more. The chickens grow to about 5.5 pounds, and the roosters are a little larger at about seven. It usually has yellow legs though it can also have gray and may or may not have a pea comb and beard. The eggs it lays will be lighter as the bird gets larger.
As mentioned earlier, the whiting true-blue chicken can lay up to 300 blue eggs per year, and the size and color of these eggs depend on the size of the chicken. Larger chickens will produce larger eggs, but they will be lighter in color. Nutrition and care are a vital part of the egg-laying process.
Whiting True Blue Chicken Population
The whiting true-blue chicken is a relatively new breed starting only in the 1980s, so it will take a while to catch up to its parent breeds like the Leghorn. However, with its ability to play so many blue eggs each year and its tolerance to different climates, it’s likely to continue growing in popularity.
Are Whiting True Blue Chickens Good for Small-Scale Farming?
Yes. The whiting true-blue chicken is an excellent choice for farmers who want to get many eggs instead of meat. These chickens are friendly and tolerant of the hot and cold weather. It might take inexperienced users a year or two to get the nutrition right, so the eggs stay blue, and they’re also quite active, so they need a lot of food and water, but once you get into a routine, they’re easy to manage and profitable.
