I took a few pics of my 3 month old Silverudds Blues that are in a grow out pen with my BCM. All from Greenfire Farms. Due to knee surgery, I will be selling most if not all. It breaks my heart. I had hoped to start a breeding program. I may try again in the future, once my knee is fixed. I've got 6 Cockerels & 3 Pullets. PT tested flock. Watch for my ad. I plan to post it today or tomorrow.
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She pretty. Do you have a Blue also?
I took a few pics of my 3 month old Silverudds Blues that are in a grow out pen with my BCM. All from Greenfire Farms. Due to knee surgery, I will be selling most if not all. It breaks my heart. I had hoped to start a breeding program. I may try again in the future, once my knee is fixed. I've got 6 Cockerels & 3 Pullets. PT tested flock. Watch for my ad. I plan to post it today or tomorrow.
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And you must have taken this picture when she was younger. Her comb & wattles don’t indicate that she’s nearing lay.
Yes, sorry, I meant the black one should be because hers are bright red and wattles are getting there. This one, not so much. But I thought they were they same age
And I’m so sorry about your knee! 70! Wow!! Your’s are gorgeous. Can’t wait until mine are full grown. I’d love to move to an acreage and have a larger flock. I have 9, but it’s a good starting point.
I would like to clear this up. Originally in Sweden, Isbar referred to any green egg laying chicken, and still does to many there. (Kind of like our struggle here with Ameraucana, Americana and Easter Egger.) The breed we know as Blue Isbar (Isbar Blue in Sweden) was specifically bred by Martin Silverudd as a production breed. He never accomplished the auto-sexing part of this breed before he died, if he intended it to be. There was a white Isbar, bred by Martin Silverudd, that was a precursor to the Blue Isbar, but is believed to be extinct. Blue, black, splash and white are the only recognized colors of this breed. It is also thought that the White Leghorn was used in the development of the Blue Isbar. I have seen some speculation that the Minorca may have been used, and perhaps that is how the blue color was introduced. Many of Martin Silverudd's notes on the development of the Blue Isbar have been lost which is why there is so much speculation.
I was originally drawn to the Blue Isbar because of its beauty and Swedish heritage. (DH's family is Swedish) My Isbars are by far the most productive breed that I own. (I have Swedish Flower Hens, Svarthönas, White Bresse, Black Copper Marans, Black Ameraucanas, a Rhodebar, an Easter Egger, and a few mixed breeds) They are on the small end of the scale for large fowl birds, but are reliable layers of large to extra large eggs. The have easily withstood winters with temps down to -20o F and summers with temps of 100o F+ with hardly a pause in their laying. Even during molt, they recovered and resumed laying very quickly compared to my other breeds. They are a thrifty breed and excellent foragers.
The Blue Isbar is a very intelligent breed (for a chicken anyway.) They have a calm temperatment, but mine are not overly fond of being handled. I find that integrating new birds in an established flock is easier with the Isbars than with my other breeds. The cocks are not aggressive and take excellent care of the hens.
The Blue Isbar was originally brought to the states by Greenfire Farms in 2011. This first import was plagued by problems caused by inbreeding. Many breeders gave up on them because of fertility, hatchability, and vitality issues. The few breeders that stuck with them were able to solve many of the vitality issues with careful breeding. I know of only a handful of breeders, myself included, who still maintain a flock of 1st import birds.
In 2013, Greenfire imported a second group of Blue Isbars. Though this 2nd import line brought much needed diversity to address the issues that plagued the 1st import line, they also brought much more variability in the birds with some undesirable characteristics.
