What is a sapphire gem?

[debid]

Diligence? I don't see it.
From the replies people have been receiving from Hoover's over these hybrids it seems they know next to nothing about them.
They are supposed to be a simple sex link hybrid. Pullets being blue and cockerels being blue barred.
How does Hoover's not know this or why are they unable to answer something as simple as how to tell the sex on one of their sex linked hybrids?

I'm going to guess that it's like many other businesses where customer service is either outsourced or compartmentalized. The person you reach isn't in the chicken business, they're just fielding calls with a booklet of scripted answers. Ask something that's not in the script and they have to weigh whether it's important enough to escalate.

 

[renk777]

I'm going to guess that it's like many other businesses where customer service is either outsourced or compartmentalized. The person you reach isn't in the chicken business, they're just fielding calls with a booklet of scripted answers. Ask something that's not in the script and they have to weigh whether it's important enough to escalate.

That's the feeling I'm getting; that the average employee just doesn't know or care. I do think it's odd that more than one employee couldn't sex a sex-link bird and that one went so far as to say that the photos I sent weren't helpful...that I wouldn't be able to determine sex until 5 weeks of age. It's a sex-linked bird! Even I, in my chicken-newbie-ness, am fairly certain (from the moment I opened their packing carton) that I potentially had two cockerels. But I was under the impression that the extras they sent were of the same sex if you ordered a certain number of one sex so I doubted myself. But 3 weeks in, I couldn't shake the notion that 2 were definitely little roos. As for doing due diligence, I must say that the web is pretty devoid of any info on this hybrid. Even the other hatcheries all post the same little blurb that Hoover's does. I went so far as to use google translate to figure out the Czech words for chicken and breed and hybrid and such and still wasn't able to pull anything up on this particular breed. So I wouldn't be surprised if for now, no one is really disclosing the breeds involved because that's part of the allure. Even if they don't charge an exorbitant amount...selling sheer volume is still profitable. So maintaining some degree of mystery might encourage consumers to buy out an unproven hybrid. Though for me, the allure is a blueish bird that supposedly lays a lot. And if it doesn't, well, it's still blue. Ha!

 

[PachecoPeeps]

We received 14 sapphires on March 1st and we noticed the difference in colors too. We also have a couple who are very light colored and have no dark on their head. As far as I can tell none have barring yet on their wings. I will be pretty upset if we end up with a bunch of boys on a sex linked chickens.

In the pictures the 3 with the dots are cuckoo marans.

 

[Sapphire Jan]

Hello, newbie here. I found this thread while looking for more info on Sapphire gems. We purchased two from Rural King aboutbwo weeks ago. The lady told me they had all pullet, but after reading his thread, I'm wondering if one of our two is a roo. I've attached a pic of the dark one that looks like a baby penguine! The other one is all gray. If it turns out that ine of them is a male, I guess that's okay.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Hello, newbie here. I found this thread while looking for more info on Sapphire gems. We purchased two from Rural King aboutbwo weeks ago. The lady told me they had all pullet, but after reading his thread, I'm wondering if one of our two is a roo. I've attached a pic of the dark one that looks like a baby penguine! The other one is all gray. If it turns out that ine of them is a male, I guess that's okay.

Rather than a male saphire, it appears you have a different breed entirely here. Put the chick down and get a pic of all of it so we can start working out an id for you

 

[Sapphire Jan]

Here you go. I noticed tht the dark one has a black comb and the light one has a light comb.

 

[PachecoPeeps]

Here you go. I noticed tht the dark one has a black comb and the light one has a light comb.

Does your one have barring on its wing feathers? Do either have a white dot on top if their heads? That is supposedly how we are to tell the sex but it is confusing right now

 

[Sapphire Jan]

Neither one has a dot on the head and they both have barring on the wings.

 

[renk777]

From the ones I've received, (so far) it appears light grey with no dark head, flesh colored beak and legs, are roos. That's not to say that SG roos can't have the darker beaks and legs as in the Hoover photo, it's just saying that mine do not. All of my females (if they truly are females) are a shade of grey...from medium to almost black. SOme have completely black heads with yellow throats and some have dark heads with yellow and black banding in inconsistent patterns around the eyes. All have either dark beaks and legs or flesh colored with splashes of the darker color. So in that box with the marans you posted, there is 1 with the same coloration as my roos, and 4 others that could possibly be roos based on the lighter grey plumage...though all of yours seem to have the darker splashes of color on their beaks. In the case of my batch, that could indicate females..OR...the Hoover photo is accurate and the lighter plumage paired with dark beak and legs could still be a roo Mine start their 5th week tomorrow and the suspected roos are roos...beyond any shadow of a doubt. I have one probable pullet that I still question somewhat as her comb is larger and she has a more solid feel like her 2 brothers. Though her markings and coloration scream female. I've found that all the typical markers aside, I can sometimes pick out a roo just by closing my eyes and picking them up....they have a different feel. In addition, they have a way of cocking their heads and glancing sideways to observe something that is just different than the way a pullet does so. So I want to see how this particular girl observes her environment and see how she feels when I lift her out. It's really hard to gauge color from the overhead shots into the packing carton that you posted. If you get a chance, maybe snap some pics of them lined up on a surface in daylight Then we can play the guessing game! I love the guessing game!

 

[The Moonshiner]

From the ones I've received, (so far) it appears light grey with no dark head, flesh colored beak and legs, are roos. That's not to say that SG roos can't have the darker beaks and legs as in the Hoover photo, it's just saying that mine do not. All of my females (if they truly are females) are a shade of grey...from medium to almost black. SOme have completely black heads with yellow throats and some have dark heads with yellow and black banding in inconsistent patterns around the eyes. All have either dark beaks and legs or flesh colored with splashes of the darker color. So in that box with the marans you posted, there is 1 with the same coloration as my roos, and 4 others that could possibly be roos based on the lighter grey plumage...though all of yours seem to have the darker splashes of color on their beaks. In the case of my batch, that could indicate females..OR...the Hoover photo is accurate and the lighter plumage paired with dark beak and legs could still be a roo Mine start their 5th week tomorrow and the suspected roos are roos...beyond any shadow of a doubt. I have one probable pullet that I still question somewhat as her comb is larger and she has a more solid feel like her 2 brothers. Though her markings and coloration scream female. I've found that all the typical markers aside, I can sometimes pick out a roo just by closing my eyes and picking them up....they have a different feel. In addition, they have a way of cocking their heads and glancing sideways to observe something that is just different than the way a pullet does so. So I want to see how this particular girl observes her environment and see how she feels when I lift her out. It's really hard to gauge color from the overhead shots into the packing carton that you posted. If you get a chance, maybe snap some pics of them lined up on a surface in daylight Then we can play the guessing game! I love the guessing game!

These are supposed to be simple sex links.
Females non barred and males barred.
Mind sharing pics of the ones you think are males but not barred?