Blue Plymouth Rock

iwltfum

Crowing
Sep 10, 2018
778
1,606
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Maine
Has anyone ever had any experience with a breed called Blue Plymouth Rock that is supposed to be a cross between Blue Andalusian and Plymouth Barred Rock?
We got 50 chicks late this summer. They are lookers for sure and their drive to forage and dust is unmatched among the other laying breeds that I have. They are flighty about predators, but calm around me, my family, and my dogs. I'm looking forward to seeing how they lay. Supposed to be prolific layers as well. Brown eggs. Several of them have sparsely feathered feet. Got these chicks through Freedom Ranger Hatchery. I believe they actually came from their Fifth Day Farms partner hatchery. If any one has raised these before, I would love to know how they performed for you.


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They are not blue Plymouth Rocks.
Blue Plymouth Rocks are the blue variety of Plymouth Rocks.
Hatcheries are causing confusion using this and simular names. What you have is a blue sex link hybrid. Originally they were offered under the name Sapphire Gems. As more hatcheries joined in on offering them the parental birds have changed so not all are created equal.
 
They are not blue Plymouth Rocks.
Blue Plymouth Rocks are the blue variety of Plymouth Rocks.
Hatcheries are causing confusion using this and simular names. What you have is a blue sex link hybrid. Originally they were offered under the name Sapphire Gems. As more hatcheries joined in on offering them the parental birds have changed so not all are created equal.
Online says they’re a mix.
 
They are not blue Plymouth Rocks.
Blue Plymouth Rocks are the blue variety of Plymouth Rocks.
Hatcheries are causing confusion using this and simular names. What you have is a blue sex link hybrid. Originally they were offered under the name Sapphire Gems. As more hatcheries joined in on offering them the parental birds have changed so not all are created equal.

Hmm. More confusing the more I look into this.. Why would a cross between Blue Andalusian and Plymouth rock be called a blue sexlink hybrid? Is that just a general name for any mixed breed, blue colored bird, that is also auto sexing? I do believe these are auto sexing as the one male I have out of the 50 has a rust colored cape.
 
Hmm. More confusing the more I look into this.. Why would a cross between Blue Andalusian and Plymouth rock be called a blue sexlink hybrid? Is that just a general name for any mixed breed, blue colored bird, that is also auto sexing? I do believe these are auto sexing as the one male I have out of the 50 has a rust colored cape.
They were originally created in Europe. They were a cross between a splash Andalusian type rooster with a barred Plymouth Rock hen.
The cross resulted in sex linked offspring. All chicks were blue and males were barred being born with a head spot.
Females were solid and born without a head spot.
Hoover's first offered them in the states and dubbed them Sapphire Gems. After the first season other hatcheries picked up on the popularity and started selling simular crosses under other names. Hoover's also changed the birds they used to make the cross and are now holding their secret of what they use. Other hatcheries are also not telling exactly what theyre using.
But it has been clear that all hatcheries aren't using the same type of males and Hoover's have switched what theyve used as well.
 
They were originally created in Europe. They were a cross between a splash Andalusian type rooster with a barred Plymouth Rock hen.
The cross resulted in sex linked offspring. All chicks were blue and males were barred being born with a head spot.
Females were solid and born without a head spot.
Hoover's first offered them in the states and dubbed them Sapphire Gems. After the first season other hatcheries picked up on the popularity and started selling simular crosses under other names. Hoover's also changed the birds they used to make the cross and are now holding their secret of what they use. Other hatcheries are also not telling exactly what theyre using.
But it has been clear that all hatcheries aren't using the same type of males and Hoover's have switched what theyve used as well.
Very good to know! I had some of the hoover's ones, had to sell only because I had too many other birds. Mine were great, laying at 18 weeks, large eggs. They were great foragers and less skittish than the andalusians, yet not quite as easily caught and handled as a brown sex-link type of bird, FWIW.
 
Hatcheries have certainly caused confusion about what a Blue Plymouth Rock is as defined by the American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection.
So much so that on the internet all I could find were Sapphire Gem or what is being called Blue Plymouth Rock.
I had to go to the hard copy of APA SOP to find correct colored one.
Even the weights are wrong on some hatchery descriptions.
The APA SOP is copyrighted so couldn’t share pictures.
They are stunning with their bluish slate, each feather having a sharply defined lacing of black.
Neck back and saddle of males an even shade of clear bluish slate, each feather distinctly laced with glossy black.
What is being marketed as Blue Plymouth Rock are hybrid as mentioned above.
I have included pictures of these.
 

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