I got my chicks in March from a feed store (not sure which hatchery they came from). One was labeled as a Rhode Island Blue and one a Blue Rock (which I have come to understand is the same thing as a Sapphire Gem/Sapphire Blue). I don’t know which is which. Both girls have large red combs and black legs, and that’s where their similarities end. I’m curious which is which and would love some other opinions.
First up is Sigmund aka Siggy. Siggy is a very dark blue (almost black). She shows up much lighter in photos than she appears in real life.
These last two pics give a better idea for how dark she is.
Siggy is a slender, petite, higher-energy bird. As a chick she was absolutely fearless and we thought she was a roo. Now as an adult she is still hyper, but has fallen almost to the bottom of the pecking order. She is friendly and inquisitive with people and is that bird that’s always “in your face” no matter what you’re doing. She lays almost daily, medium to large size light brown (tinted?) eggs. An occasional double yolker. Her most defining physical characteristic is probably her light pink ear lobes, which are more prominent in the 2nd & 3rd pics. I’m guessing Siggy is the Blue Rock (derived from Barred Rocks & Blue Andalusian) as I suspect her size, energy, & ear lobe color could be from the Andalusian breed influence. (Based on what I’ve read about the breed). But pictures of other Blue Rocks online show birds that look more like my other girl.
So here’s girl #2, Chicory.
Chicory is a larger, rounder, and much lighter colored bird. She is more of what I expected a blue chicken would look like. Chicory is a cool, calm, & collected sort of lady, who quietly sneaked her way to the top of the pecking order. She doesn’t often mess with the other birds, but NO ONE messes with Chicory. She is my roo’s right-hand lady. She is independent and doesn’t really care what her humans are up to. Chicory lays almost daily, large round light brown (tinted?) eggs. Her most defining physical characteristic is probably the white on her head and around her face (most noticeable in the 1st & 2nd photos). Rhode Island Blues are supposed to be derived from RIRs & Australorpe. Chicory’s calm demeanor and build remind me of the Australorpe I used to have, so I suspect she may be the Rhode Island Red. Just because I love sharing photos, here are some pics of the 2 of them together.
Siggy left, Chic right, Lucifer the roo in the middle. These pics shock me because in actuality these 2 girls look nothing alike, but the camera makes Siggy look so light!
Siggy photobombed this pic of Chicory.
And here’s my kaleidoscope of colors. This is a great way to see how different the girls are since they are standing side-by-side. Siggy is watching a plane fly over and Chicory is next to her chowing down.
So… which bird do you think is which breed?
First up is Sigmund aka Siggy. Siggy is a very dark blue (almost black). She shows up much lighter in photos than she appears in real life.
These last two pics give a better idea for how dark she is.
Siggy is a slender, petite, higher-energy bird. As a chick she was absolutely fearless and we thought she was a roo. Now as an adult she is still hyper, but has fallen almost to the bottom of the pecking order. She is friendly and inquisitive with people and is that bird that’s always “in your face” no matter what you’re doing. She lays almost daily, medium to large size light brown (tinted?) eggs. An occasional double yolker. Her most defining physical characteristic is probably her light pink ear lobes, which are more prominent in the 2nd & 3rd pics. I’m guessing Siggy is the Blue Rock (derived from Barred Rocks & Blue Andalusian) as I suspect her size, energy, & ear lobe color could be from the Andalusian breed influence. (Based on what I’ve read about the breed). But pictures of other Blue Rocks online show birds that look more like my other girl.
So here’s girl #2, Chicory.
Chicory is a larger, rounder, and much lighter colored bird. She is more of what I expected a blue chicken would look like. Chicory is a cool, calm, & collected sort of lady, who quietly sneaked her way to the top of the pecking order. She doesn’t often mess with the other birds, but NO ONE messes with Chicory. She is my roo’s right-hand lady. She is independent and doesn’t really care what her humans are up to. Chicory lays almost daily, large round light brown (tinted?) eggs. Her most defining physical characteristic is probably the white on her head and around her face (most noticeable in the 1st & 2nd photos). Rhode Island Blues are supposed to be derived from RIRs & Australorpe. Chicory’s calm demeanor and build remind me of the Australorpe I used to have, so I suspect she may be the Rhode Island Red. Just because I love sharing photos, here are some pics of the 2 of them together.
Siggy left, Chic right, Lucifer the roo in the middle. These pics shock me because in actuality these 2 girls look nothing alike, but the camera makes Siggy look so light!
Siggy photobombed this pic of Chicory.
And here’s my kaleidoscope of colors. This is a great way to see how different the girls are since they are standing side-by-side. Siggy is watching a plane fly over and Chicory is next to her chowing down.
So… which bird do you think is which breed?
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