Iowa Blue breeders

[BlackBart]

I got two from Ideal, a hen and what turned out to be a Roo.
My friend got two hens. Her hens are much nicer than mine and they are from Ideal as well.
Hers have the distinct birchen coloring around the neck, my hen doesn't.

My Roo could populate all of North America as he is so "active "

Beautiful bird, not aggressive, seems to be hardy and great at keeping a eye in the sky for predators. Hen's personality is much like a Red Shouldered Yokohama. Busy, a bit skittish, not flighty, good forager.

The weather sucks here right now so taking a picture of him wouldn't do him justice.

 

[jerseygirl1]

I only got a hen, I hope

 

[sjcolorwing]

The Iowa blues I have are birchen pattern on E , so if they get any melinizers mixed into them it will wipe out the birchen pattern in the females and turn them black. E based birchen females dont have markings on the top of the head , only the back of the neck and no laceing on frontal neck. Chick color differs but it can be tricky and they are not always that differant. The feet of an E will tend to be solid dark pigment and may as they mature get some color on the bottoms of their feet. An E birchen and an ER birchen can look pretty similar. Some one said not to get them mixed together as it can become confusing and hard to seperate later because they are allels. So the dark pullet may not get any color in her neck. Check the bottoms of her feet.

 

[Rare Breeds]

Quote:
Hi sjcolorwing

I have seen pictures of the Iowa Blue hens in birchen & pencilled. Can you tell which ones are birchen and which are pencilled as chicks. I would like to just keep the birchen colored Iowa Blue.

 

[jakobvanschagen]

I have been following this post and really enjoyed everyone's input on what they know about the breed and the birchen genes.

I have 25 pullets and 19 stags that were hatched at Ideal last September. I'm looking to cull hard and eventually get some Sandhill stock to cross into my flock.

Although there is no REAL standard for this unrecognized breed, I would like to start networking with other Iowa breeders and enthusiasts to preserve this rare strain.

Anyone interested in discussing Iowa Blues feel free to email me at: [email protected]

 

[Hurley]

I have an order placed for some Iowa Blues from Sandhill to start my flock and will be interested in obtaining birds from other breeders to gain as much diversity as possible, though that's a tough goal when they all seem to stem from Sandhill's stock as far as I can tell. I've been trying to find out more about the breed, but information is fairly scarce. I have been trying to compile a standard to breed for when I have my birds and have this amount so far:

(Compiled from the various websites on Iowa Blues on the internet and from Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds.)

Iowa Blue

The Iowa Blue was developed in the first half of the 20th century near Decorah, Iowa and was carried by many small hatcheries around Iowa until those hatcheries closed down and the breed was nearly lost. Through the efforts of interested breeders striving to preserve the breed, the Iowa blue is a very rare breed in need of preservation. Having never been recognized by the APA, ABA, or any other breed registry, the Iowa Blue is classified as a "Study" breed by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, acknowledging that the breed is of conservation interest but lacks the documentation to be firmly categorized.

Although the exact origin of the Iowa Blue is not known, legend has it that a White Leghorn hen appeared out from under a building one day with a clutch of chicks unlike any seen before. Some were solid chestnut, but others resembled pheasant chicks, colored light yellow with horizontal striping on their cheeks and black stripes down their backs. The tale was passed down by the old-timers that the sire of the clutch was a pheasant, giving the breed an interesting, folksy legend as to its origination.

They are one of the more striking New Heritage breeds, resembling Grey Junglefowl in carriage and voice with the bearing and production traits of an old heritage breed like the Black Java.

Country of Origin: United States
Conservation Status: Study
Type of Breed: Dual-purpose, good amount of meat
Eggs: Good number of lightly tinted brown eggs
Cocks: 7 to 7.5 pounds (Cockerels 6.5 pounds)
Hens: 6 pounds (Pullet 5 pounds)
Characteristics: Good foragers; do well in free range conditions with males being excellent flock guardians and are noted to be talented hawk fighters. Hens will go broody and have great maternal instincts. Though very aware of surroundings in a free-range situation, are fairly docile and not particularly flighty.

Comb: Medium to moderately large single comb with six well-defined points that stand upright.
Wattles: Medium to moderately large wattles and earlobes, all being bright red.
Eyes: Dark Brown
Beak: Horn
Shanks and Toes: Slate
Color: Birchen. Head is white to silvery white. Neck and upper breast are white penciled with slender black central stripe transitioning to solid black feathers with white lacing. Lower breast, body, legs, wings, and tail are bluish black to gray with penciling. Lower breast should not be over-laced. Males show white to silvery white back and saddle area. Females have a back that is bluish to gray with penciling.

Can be used to create sex-links when mated with other breeds, especially White Plymouth Rocks (producing gray cockerels and black pullets) or New Hampshires (producing reddish gray cockerels and blackish gray pullets).


Also found some advice that I plan to keep in mind while working on my future Iowa Blue flock that I found helpful (from a birchen cochin breeder):

With birchens you will for the most part have to double mate them, meaning that you will have a breeding pen that will produce good males and another pen that will produce good females. Breed males with very little or no breast lacing to good laced or overly lace females to produce good males. Likewise, breed weak laced females to overly laced males with good yellow legs and light undercolor to achieve nicely colored females. In both cases the females out of the first breeding or the males out of the second breeding won't be fit for show due to color but they may be used in the breeding pens to achieve the same results.

 

[Myabcs3]

So, does anyone have pics of their birds available? And is anyone considering selling fertilized eggs? We would like to add this bird to our flock and try to assist with its preservation.

 

[BlackBart]

I had a beautiful Iowa Blue rooster. If I could have mailed him to you I would have.

He turned out to be the closest thing to a Terrorist in feathers I have ever met.
He is in the deep freeze now.

 

[Myabcs3]

Quote:

Thanks for the thought...but a terrorist chicken in Kansas?

 

[BlackBart]

As long as he was the only Rooster within a several mile radius he would of been fine.
He could have single handedly fertilized most of the hens in Kansas.
He was delicious