Chicken Breed Focus - Isbar (Blue Isbar)

[spruett386]

So do they have a white earlobe or a red one? I see both in some pics. I'd love to see an official breed standard.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

These have been my favorite breed for the 4 years I've been working with them. Lovely, petite, prolific, light on feed, predator savvy, strong immunities, kind roosters, ... I feel like I could go on and on.

I have heard folks distinguishing recently between the blue and the birchen blue. Generally, I call them all blues, but there are definitely 2 distinct color varieties of the "blue" color... Here's an example with 2 of my boys - this guy is darker, more classically just what I'd call a "blue"View attachment 2497331
This next guy is a lot lighter with much more light colored hackles, saddle feathers and wing points.
View attachment 2497333

What would you call the second picture? This is how my rooster is colored, but his legs aren't as dark and lovely as this guy unfortunately

 

[orrpeople]

What would you call the second picture? This is how my rooster is colored, but his legs aren't as dark and lovely as this guy unfortunately

He is blue as well, just a lighter variation. His legs look darker in the picture than they are in reality - they have a green tint or "willow" coloring.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

He is blue as well, just a lighter variation. His legs look darker in the picture than they are in reality - they have a green tint or "willow" coloring.

My rooster, Kitty, looks a lot like that lighter one. I've often wondered if I was wrong about him being blue, but this certainly confirms that. Kitty has black on the front of his legs, like an ash on yellow. I'm sure he isn't close to being correct but he is such a good boy. He'll be 2 years old in September. I'm guessing gout isn't a breed thing, but Kitty has articular gout that is noticible in his feet and toes. I don't have any other birds with gout and he has never had layer feed. There are multiple possible causes though. I need to get new pictures of Kitty. He worried me as a chick. He had some aggressive tendencies but I believe this was due to his very nervous nature. The day he hatched he bit at my hand as I tried to remove him from the incubator. He never bit hard but he would bite first figure things out later. He is still a nervous boy to this day. He's been an amazing rooster that doesn't cause any problems. I have a lot of roosters and Kitty doesn't start fights with any of them. He's a really good boy and has made me a fan of Silverudd's Blues

 

[PNWskye]

Here are pics of my two guys. First is a blue and the second is black…both are homozygous for the blue egg gene. Then, some pics of my sweet hens❣

 

[PNWskye]

So do they have a white earlobe or a red one? I see both in some pics. I'd love to see an official breed standard.

Hi! I had to ask one of the group experts. She said red with or without enameling. Not white.

 

[spruett386]

I'm very excited. My extremely broody, hatchery BCM is sitting on 7 breeder Isbar eggs and 2 breeder BCM eggs. I can't wait to see what hatches!

 

[spruett386]

So how friendly/docile are they? What breed would you compare them to personality-wise?

 

[PNWskye]

So how friendly/docile are they? What breed would you compare them to personality-wise?

Depends on your line and how much you handle them as chicks. They get along really well with my legbars. I hatch SilverBars too. Those are sexlinked Silverudd’s Blue over Legbar and my growouts are so so sweet with crests. Looking forward to seeing their aqua eggs!

 

[spruett386]

Would you say this baby will be solid black or one with khaki feather markings on the neck? Or is this a blue? I've never hatched isbars before and don't have a clue. It's surely not a splash, though, right? More behbehs to come!