Blue Laced Red Wyandotte: Eggs, Height, Size and Raising Tips

The Blue Laced Red Wyandotte is a particular type of Wyandotte chicken known for its beauty. While this variety of chicken is newer to the United States in comparison to other Wyandotte varieties, it has nevertheless gained fast popularity due to its particularly stunning plumage.

This article will cover

• Blue-Laced Red Wyandotte Chicken Overview
• History of Blue-Laced Red Wyandotte
• Blue-Laced Red Wyandotte Breed Standard
• Personality and Temperament of Blue-Laced Red Wyandotte
• Blue Laced Red Wyandotte Egg Laying
• Health Issues and Care Blue-Laced Red Wyandotte
• 4 Tips for Raising Blue-Laced Red Wyandotte Chickens

Blue-Laced Red Wyandotte Overview

Feature	Blue-Laced Red Wyandottes Chicken
Purpose	Ornamental
Egg Color	Brown
Egg Size	Medium to Large
Broodiness	Usually Broody
Heat Tolerance	Yes
Cold Tolerance	Yes
Comb Type	Rose Comb
Egg Production	About 150 to 200 eggs per year
Chicken Skin Color	Yellow
Life Span	7-8 years
Adult Weight	Hen: 6-7 lbs, Rooster: 8-9 lbs
Backyard Friendly	4/5

If you’re looking for some seriously eye-catching livestock for your flock, the Blue-Laced Wyandotte is definitely worth checking out. With their dazzlingly patterned feathers, they can be quite a showstopper!

How to differentiate Blue-Laced Wyandottes from regular Wyandottes?

If you are trying to identify a Wyandotte, check whether the feathers are plain in colors like black, silver gold, or buff. If there is lacing present then it is likely that this is a Blue-Laced Wyandottes. Regular Wyandottes do not have this type of lacing or edging coloring.

History of Blue-Laced Red Wyandottes

Wyandotte chickens were first bred in the United States in the 1870s and named after the Wyandot, or Huran Nation, Native Americans of North America.

This breed of chicken was created by four men, H.M. Doubleday, Fred Houdlette, John Ray, and L. Whittaker, with the first Wyandotte chicken being of the silver-laced variety.

The original Wyandottes were said to be bred from the silver-spangled Hamburg and dark Brahmas varieties of chicken.

While this breed became officially recognized in the United States around that time, it was also taken to England shortly after. Over time, breeders would continue experimenting with breeding these chickens in order to create stunning new and colorful varieties of Wyandottes.

While Europe recognizes 30 varieties of Wyandottes, eight varieties of Wyandottes are officially recognized in the United States:

• recognized in 1893 – Black
• recognized in 1977 – Blue
• recognized in 1893 – Buff
• recognized in 1905 – Columbian
• recognized in 1888 – Gold Laced
• recognized in 1893 – Partridge
• recognized in 1883 – Silver Laced
• recognized in 1902 – Silver Pencilled

On the other hand, Great Britain lists the following as being recognized breeds:

• Black
• Blue
• Barred
• Blue-Laced
• Blue Partridge
• Buff-Laced
• Buff
• Columbian
• Gold-Laced
• Partridge
• Red
• Silver-laced
• Silver-penciled
• White

While there is some debate as to when and where the Blue Laced Red Wyandotte was, evidence suggests they first appeared in either Britain or the United States in the 1800s.

While the popularity of the breed took a dive with the boom of industrial hens in the mid-1900s, recent interest in this visually stunning chicken has rekindled some of the breed’s popularity.

Blue-Laced Red Wyandotte Breed Standard

The Blue Laced Red Wyandotte is an interesting mix of many breeds of chicken. In order to produce the exact effect of this delicate breed, close attention must be paid to breeding.

However, as the breed has yet to be recognized as official by the APA (American Poultry Association), there is no breed standard for the chicken.

With that said reputable breeders agree that the Blue Laced Red Wyandotte should have the bodily shape of a Wyandotte, with a broad, U-shaped body, yellow legs and beak, and red wattles, face, comb, and earlobes, with earlobes close to the head.

Getting the coloring of the Blue Laced Red Wyandotte just right is complex. The base red coating must come from a chicken with mahogany red coloring, made from a combination of red-enhancing genes and yellow-red pheomelanin.

The blue lacing is a bit more complex, as two Blue Wyandottes will not breed true blue. Instead, a chicken with the lacing gene and the Andalusian blue gene should be bred with a black chicken to create the true blue lacing necessary for the Blue Laced Red Wyandotte. Creating a true Blue Laced Red Wyandotte is complicated, overall.

Personality and Temperament

While Wyandottes, in general, are friendly chickens, they are not cuddly and should not be confused with pets. They are even-keeled overall but are not particularly prone to overfriendliness.

The personality of each Blue Laced Red Wyandotte will differ from chicken to chicken, with some being known as relatively sociable and others aloof, while some are quiet and others talkative.

However, these chickens tend to have more lofty personalities than pushovers. These chickens are not bullies, but they also will not stand any bullying done to them.

These chickens have one amazing quality for breeders, and that is that the hens will usually accept any egg that is placed under them for hatching.

Wyandotte chickens will not get stir-crazy but do prefer to roam and forage when given the opportunity.

Overall, the Blue Laced Red Wyandotte comes from a long line of traditionally tolerant chickens that trend toward serious individualism rather than social behaviors.

However, they will not go out of their way to be unfriendly, making them a great addition to any coup or flock. Their foraging skills and proclivity to foster egg-laying make these beautiful chickens worth the hassle of exact breeding.

Blue Laced Red Wyandotte Egg Laying

The Blue Laced Red Wyandotte chickens were developed to be effective egg layers. However, some Wyandotte chickens are known for suffering from low fertility rates, preventing the stunning chicken from becoming overly abundant.

This is due in some parts to the rose comb gene that is inherently present in all Wyandotte chickens. While this gene provides chickens with great, fluffy feathers, this gene has also been linked to low fertility in Wyandottes for some time.

While this gene doesn’t significantly impact hens, it has been linked to significantly lower fertility rates in roosters.

When they are fertile, breeders should expect the production of roughly 200 eggs a year. The Blue Laced Red Wyandotte eggs are large and brown, often appearing to be speckled with white or dark brown.

As previously mentioned, these hens are susceptible to laying on any eggs placed under them, making them versatile and valuable additions to any coup.

Health Issues and Care

Along with the Blue Laced Red Wyandotte’s increased likelihood of infertility, this variety of Wyandotte has some other care issues owners should pay close attention to.

This breed of chicken has a particularly dense feathering that should be checked regularly for mite and lice infestations.

Mites

Mites, in particular, are known for causing anemia in chickens. Common signs of a mite infestation in your chicken include abnormal molting, over-pecking, and over-preening.

Pay close attention to any potential discoloration in your chicken during this time as well, as this can be a sign your chicken is dealing with mites.

Lice

While not particular to the Wyandotte, chickens are actually more likely to catch lice from birds or humans rather than other chickens. Although, freshly introduced chickens with lice run the risk of transmitting it to nearby chickens.

They are also susceptible to these parasites as they have softer feathers, especially around their legs. So, ensure a clean environment and regularly groom your flock.

General Care

Despite the need for regular feather checks for pests, the Blue Laced Red Wyandotte is a healthy breed of chicken overall.

In terms of grooming, owners should be careful to keep their rear trimmed. This will aid in the shedding of waste as well as help to facilitate mating.

4 Tips for Raising Blue-Laced Red Wyandottes

Planning to have a Blue-Laced Wyandotte added to your flock? Then, here are some tips to help you.

1. Give this Chicken Space to Roam

While this chicken is known for being relatively easygoing and will certainly thrive in more constrained environments, this chicken really prefers to have room to roam; especially the chicks.

As chicks, the Blue Laced Red Wyandottes are lively and energetic from the start. Giving them space to move around in, wildlife to forage through, and other chickens to interact with will be great for the socialization and overall happiness of these chicks.

2. Give them Shade in Warm Weather

Those living in colder climates will appreciate this chicken’s hardiness. The Blue Laced Red Wyandotte also thrives well in warm weather but does not prefer it.

Because of this, those in warm climates should be sure to provide their Wyandottes with nice shaded areas in which to escape the sun and plenty of water to help them cool off and stay hydrated.

3. Take Note of Their Spot in the Pecking Order

While these chickens are usually fairly high up in the pecking order, they are not prone to bullying other chickens. However, because of this air of superiority, they do not tolerate bullying aimed directly at them.

It would be best not to include them in a flock of more aggressive chickens, as this chicken will likely stand its ground.

4. Keep Up With Grooming

While this seems obvious, the Blue Laced Red Wyandotte is known for its particular beauty. You’ll want to keep up with your Wyandotte’s grooming in order to fully show off this majestic chicken.

Due to their impressive plumage, chickens are also prone to lice and mites and should be checked regularly for any such pests. This is especially important if you’re going to have them as show birds.

Summary

The Blue-Laced Red Wyandotte is a genetic marvel and a feat of complex genealogical engineering. Easy-going and great for assistance with hatching eggs, these beauties are relatively low maintenance and a great addition to any flock.

What’s more, caring for these beauties helps to bring them one step closer to official recognition, which we believe to be just around the corner!