Sapphire Blue Plymouth Hen Laying White Eggs

[RaesChicks]

I just watched my sapphire Plymouth lay a white egg. Everything I have read says brown. The only chicken I have that is supposed to lay white eggs is my silkie. My other hens are black australorps, Orpingtons, and easter eggers. A few of my hens just started laying, I’m getting about three eggs a day. A smaller white one, a larger white one, and a blue. No brown eggs as of yet. Is it possible my Plymouths are actually some other breed? They are super flighty and not at all the calm docile chickens they were described as. Just curious.

 

[sourland]

Sapphire blue Plymouth Rocks have red earlobes. The birds with the white earlobes are most likely your white egg layers and are not Sapphire Plymouth Rocks.

 

[RaesChicks]

White ears means white eggs? Any idea what they could be other than blue Plymouth? I would be very relieved to know they are supposed to lay white eggs. My fear was bronchitis was causing bleaching if they were a breed that was supposed to lay brown eggs.

 

[nuthatched]

You don't have real Plymouth Rocks, you have blue hybrids, minorca crosses I think.
Minorcas lay white.

 

[springvalley123]

The one in front might be an Isabella Leghorn. The one facing front, with an australorp just to her left, looks like a Brown Leghorn--big comb, white ear lobes, golden hackles with what looks like salmon colored chest. There's an easter egger facing away and to the left in the back, an easter egger facing front,, and another black australorp near the front.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

The blue birds in the picture do not look like the Sapphire Blues I have seen in the past. To me, they look much more like Privett's 'Blue Breasted Brown Leghorns' that are actually a Leghorn hybrid that does lay white eggs. Where did you get them?

For the record, earlobe color is not an accurate indicator of egg color, especially in hybrids like these.

 

[RaesChicks]

I got them at tractor supply. Leghorns would make sense, they are super jumpy and flighty.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Yeah, in that case I think they had a mislabeled bin and you have some 'blue breasted brown' Leghorns. They tick all the marks for Leghorns for sure. Pretty girls, even if not what you thought you were buying!

 

[NatJ]

White ears means white eggs?

No and yes.

Earlobe color can help you recognize breed, and breed can tell what color eggs they are supposed to lay.

There is no genetic reason for white earlobes to go with white eggs, or for red earlobes to go with brown eggs. There are some breeds with white earlobes that lay brown eggs (example: Penedesenca) and breeds with red earlobes that lay white eggs (example: Dorkings.)

But over the years, people have often decided to create chicken breeds with white earlobes & white eggs, or red earlobes & brown eggs.

When people mix breeds to make hybrids, the hybrid will often inherit the egg color and the earlobe color of the parent breeds (along with size, body shape, feather color, and so forth.)

The blue birds in the picture do not look like the Sapphire Blues I have seen in the past. To me, they look much more like Privett's 'Blue Breasted Brown Leghorns' that are actually a Leghorn hybrid that does lay white eggs.

That would certainly explain their appearance and also the white eggs.