Iowa Blues - Breed thread and discussion

[karimw]

Oh no, that is just devastating! Well, I should be able to come up with some more eggs for you from my new flock. I have a bunch in the incubator doing well and I keep stuffing IaB eggs under broodies when they start to show themselves commmitted. I have 4 so far, 2 cochins sitting on 8 and 12 IaB eggs. I'm not going to make the mistake I did last time and wait until it's too late to hatch.

 

[Hurley]

Yeah, I hear you. I've got a new incubator, but will need to play with it a bit to get it stable. Can't set eggs until I get back from Aussie Nationals as I'll be gone most of next week. Hoping to get a bunch to set right after that, though, so will take whatever you got, just let me know! Anyone else on here that has eggs available preferably shipping the 23rd please let me know how many you could ship and what you want for them plus shipping. Darn it all, this sets back my NPIP plans, but I want some good base stock before I NPIP the farm as that will limit who I can obtain birds from.

Update on the ones I have left, they seem to have made a good recovery and are very active and growing, so at least I have these guys.

 

[karimw]

OK, finally got the pics of my new flock off the camera! Not as many good ones as I like since they were moving so fast, but here's a pretty good idea of what they look like.

New Boss Blue

Another roo and some hens

A couple of the nicer hens

 

[reereechickens]

Hi! I have been looking at rare heritage breeds. These chickens look really nice and seem pretty rare. I really like the pics that have been just posted. Are IaB slow to mature? Thanks

Marie

 

[karimw]

I don't think they are very slow growing. My first flock were hatched in the middle of September and they were laying by February. Some others who had young ones that same age reported they took a little longer, but perhaps they didn't have them under lights like I did so winter slowed them down? I guess the true test will be for those hatched this spring. They are a smaller bird and so far don't lay very big eggs compared to my Barred rocks and Welsummers. On the other hand they don't eat as much either

 

[schroeder vanhorner]

Quote:
hurley
that is no way to spend mothers day .....i am sorry for your loss
was it the teflon fumes ?????were the chicks in the kitchen ????
did he feed the noodles to the chicks??? how did they get poisoned????
i will have about 3 extra chicks if do you ever come to des moines?
im giving 1 to our neighbors girl one of her hens died a couple of days ago
i just put the 10 chicks out in the coop yesterday i hope its not too soon
schroeder

 

[Hurley]

Teflon fumes. The chicks were in another room, but the layout of the downstairs is pretty open so it may as well have been the same room. My hubby very gracefully put a pan of water on to boil for spaghetti, then walked away for an undetermined amount of time, forgetting about the pan entirely. Very toxic to birds. I am buying new pans this weekend, throwing all the teflon suckers out in the trash. I normally cook on cast iron, but he liked the non-stick stuff.

So far the 4 surviving Iowa Blues and the other handful of chicks are looking good and seem back to their normal selves.

 

[Jake Levi]

Karimw those are beautiful Iowas, I like the 2nd roo better, have you weighed either ?

I am looking forward to hatching some.

 

[karimw]

Quote:
Not yet. They are not very big - I'd guess about 6 lbs. I'll try to do that soon.

 

[schroeder vanhorner]

why are my chicks growing at such differant rates??
some are twice as big as the others
the blackest ones [my favorites]seem to be smaller
schroeder