What color eggs do Whiting True Blues lay?

True **blue** eggs — the shell is blue through its full thickness, not just surface-tinted. The line was bred specifically for a reliable blue egg, so the color stays consistent even though the birds' feathers vary widely.

Are Whiting True Blues good for showing?

No — the Whiting True Blue is **not recognized by the APA** and has no written standard or fixed variety, so it can't be exhibited as a breed at a sanctioned show. It was bred for egg production and feather variety, not exhibition. For a showable blue-egg bird, look at its parent, the Ameraucana.

How hard are Whiting True Blues to hatch?

No harder than any chicken — **99.5–100°F, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch**. As a vigorous production hybrid they tend to be hardy hatchers with no breed-specific quirks.

How many eggs does a Whiting True Blue lay?

A lot for a blue-egg bird — commonly cited at roughly **250–300 eggs per year** from good stock, reflecting the White Leghorn production genetics behind the line. That heavy lay rate is a big part of the bird's appeal.

Why do Whiting True Blues look so different from each other?

Because the line was selected for **egg color and lay rate, not a fixed plumage color**. Feather pattern, coloration, and even leg color vary from bird to bird, giving a colorful flock — but they still lay a uniform blue egg.

Whiting True Blue: The Modern Blue-Egg Production Bird

Q: Who developed the Whiting True Blue?

Poultry geneticist **Dr. Tom Whiting** of Whiting Farms — the fly-tying feather company — created it by crossing his Ameraucana-based feather lines with commercial White Leghorns over more than a decade. Murray McMurray Hatchery holds the exclusive rights to the line.

Verified September 2026Blue eggs

The short version

The Whiting True Blue is a modern, high-production blue-egg layer developed by poultry geneticist Dr. Tom Whiting of Whiting Farms (the fly-tying feather company) by crossing his Ameraucana-based feather lines with commercial White Leghorns. It lays a true blue egg and is a strong layer — roughly 250–300 eggs a year from good stock. It is not recognized by the American Poultry Association: it was bred for lay rate and blue color, not to a fixed feather standard, so birds come in a wide range of plumage colors and patterns. Murray McMurray Hatchery holds the exclusive rights to the line.

APA class: Ornamental

Egg color: Blue

Broodiness: Rarely broody

Varieties: 1

Egg-color genetics

The Whiting True Blue was line-bred specifically FOR the blue egg, not for a fixed feather color. Dr. Tom Whiting crossed his fly-tying feather lines (built on Ameraucana blood) with high-production White Leghorns, then selected hard over more than a decade for birds that reliably pass on the dominant blue-egg (oocyan) gene. The Ameraucana side supplies the blue pigment (biliverdin) that colors the shell through its full thickness — blue inside and out — while the Leghorn side supplies the lay rate. Because selection was for egg color plus productivity rather than plumage, the flock lays a consistent blue while looking like a rainbow.

Where the Whiting True Blue came from

The bird traces to Dr. Tom Whiting, whose company, Whiting Farms, is one of the world's largest producers of fly-tying hackle feathers. Working in Delta, Colorado, Whiting spent well over a decade crossing his Ameraucana-derived feather lines with commercial White Leghorn stock. The Ameraucana blood carried the blue-egg gene and useful feather qualities; the Leghorn blood carried the relentless lay rate. The by-product of that work was a chicken that lays a dependable blue egg in high volume — the Whiting True Blue.

Because the goal was production and feather utility rather than a show bird, Whiting never fixed a plumage color, and the line was never taken to the APA for recognition. Murray McMurray Hatchery holds the exclusive rights to the genetic line and the name.

Whiting True Blue vs Ameraucana vs Easter Egger

All three are blue-egg-associated birds, but they are different things. The Ameraucana is a recognized APA breed that breeds true to color and lays true blue. The Easter Egger is any mixed bird carrying a blue-egg gene, laying anything from blue to green. The Whiting True Blue sits in between: it is a purpose-bred modern hybrid line — more consistent for blue eggs and lay rate than a random Easter Egger, but not a fixed, standardized breed like the Ameraucana. If you want eggs, the WTB is an excellent choice; if you want to exhibit, choose the Ameraucana.

Breeding notes

This is a hybrid production line, not a fixed breed: selection has always been for three things at once — a high lay rate, a reliably blue egg, and (on Dr. Whiting's side) feather quality for fly-tying — rather than for a uniform show color. Expect wide plumage variation in every hatch.
Most birds carry the single comb inherited from their White Leghorn ancestry, unlike the pea-combed Ameraucana parent. They are active, alert, flighty foragers that free-range well and are not inclined to sit.
Because the blue-egg gene is dominant, Whiting True Blues cross beautifully into an olive-egger or Easter-egger project — pair a WTB over a dark-brown layer (e.g. Marans or Welsummer) and the offspring lay olive.
If you resell hatching eggs or chicks, remember the 'Whiting True Blue' name and genetic line are exclusive to Murray McMurray; your own crosses are barnyard blue-egg birds, not trademarked WTBs.

Showing notes

There is no APA Standard of Perfection for the Whiting True Blue, so it cannot be shown as a recognized breed at a sanctioned APA/ABA exhibition — there is no variety, class, or written standard to judge it against.
Because it was deliberately bred without a fixed feather color, two WTBs from the same hatch can look nothing alike; that variety is a selling point for a colorful laying flock but the opposite of what an exhibition breeder needs.
If your goal is a showable true-blue-egg bird, look at its APA-recognized parent, the Ameraucana, instead — it breeds true to color and has a defined standard.

Hatching & incubation

No special incubation requirements — treat Whiting True Blue eggs like any chicken egg: 99.5–100°F forced-air, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch.
As a vigorous production hybrid, WTBs tend to be hardy, active hatchers; there are no breed-specific quirks to plan around.

Recognized varieties

No fixed color varieties — feather color and pattern vary bird to bird

Frequently asked questions

What color eggs do Whiting True Blues lay?: True blue eggs — the shell is blue through its full thickness, not just surface-tinted. The line was bred specifically for a reliable blue egg, so the color stays consistent even though the birds' feathers vary widely.
Are Whiting True Blues good for showing?: No — the Whiting True Blue is not recognized by the APA and has no written standard or fixed variety, so it can't be exhibited as a breed at a sanctioned show. It was bred for egg production and feather variety, not exhibition. For a showable blue-egg bird, look at its parent, the Ameraucana.
How hard are Whiting True Blues to hatch?: No harder than any chicken — 99.5–100°F, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch. As a vigorous production hybrid they tend to be hardy hatchers with no breed-specific quirks.
Who developed the Whiting True Blue?: Poultry geneticist Dr. Tom Whiting of Whiting Farms — the fly-tying feather company — created it by crossing his Ameraucana-based feather lines with commercial White Leghorns over more than a decade. Murray McMurray Hatchery holds the exclusive rights to the line.
How many eggs does a Whiting True Blue lay?: A lot for a blue-egg bird — commonly cited at roughly 250–300 eggs per year from good stock, reflecting the White Leghorn production genetics behind the line. That heavy lay rate is a big part of the bird's appeal.
Why do Whiting True Blues look so different from each other?: Because the line was selected for egg color and lay rate, not a fixed plumage color. Feather pattern, coloration, and even leg color vary from bird to bird, giving a colorful flock — but they still lay a uniform blue egg.

Sources

Whiting True Blue (breed page, exclusive line) — Murray McMurray Hatchery (Hatchery)
Whiting True Blue Chicken: origin, eggs, and APA status — Chicken Fans (Reference)

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