Iowa Blues - Breed thread and discussion

[Jake Levi]

The spring hatch is looking very good, great to see them all developing !

I havent posted in quite awhile as many things are going on, and about to really move on, in just over two weeks I am moving from Northern MI to NE WA, hope to be there by the 3rd week of Sept, I am taking my goats and a small flock of Icelandics. Once there I am hoping to get a couple chicken houses up before winter.

I am wanting in the spring to start a flock of Iowa Blues. The Icelandics are off to a good start. And next on my list is the Iowas.

Did most of you get your starting stock from Sandhill? How is their stock turning out?

 

[Jake Levi]

I forgot to mention,

re: the legend of a hen coming out from under a coop with a brood of half chicken chicks and half pheasant crosses, my guess is that the 'pheasant crosses' were chipmunks !

I am quite interested in how this springs hatch is going to mature out. I wouldnt cull any on color until they were 10 or 12 mos old, I am seeing that in the Icelandics, often some of these 'drab chipmunks' are out and out gogeous when grown out.

I'd like to see input on how the Sand Hill chicks are turning out.

 

[Jake Levi]

and again, on that legend of the hen coming out from under the building, instead of a Leghorn I suspect she was a black hen, possibly had been bred to a Barred Rock roo, giving the mixed black chicks with some chipmunks among them. Just looking at what we know of breeds and crosses now.

My question would be , at that time, what breed would the black hen have been?? What breeds were in Iowa then?

Thoughts over morning coffee.

Jake

 

[Jake Levi]

Okay, I'll play bumper,

any more pics of the Sand Hill birds hatched this year?

 

[Hurley]

No time to get into a major reply, but a short note - the chipmunks I hatched turned out to be the most patterned of all the chicks. All of the black ones so far are much more moderate in the lacing. The chipmunks I raised up turned out to be cockerels and are very heavily laced, "too much white" compared to what the description for the perfect birchen, but very striking.

Will try to get photos this weekend of my Sandhills stock and the ones hatched from eggs from Karimw and Flashpointfarms, but if you scroll down to my last set of pics, the two cockerels with all the white were chipmunk chicks.

 

[Jake Levi]

I am looking forward to seeing the Data Base develop, something that is needed.

I am on the final countdown for the move, now less then two weeks til moving cross country.

Any 'feel' yet as to quality of chicks from the few sources?

 

[karimw]

Quote:
I had a lot of trouble getting chicks from Sandhill. I put in an order way back in April after my flock was killed, and they just returned my money a week ago because they were unable to fill it. "Laying dropped to 0". So I don't really know about hatchery orders. I can tell you I'm really happy with the chicks I hatched this year. I've got new pictures to post shortly.

 

[draye]

We have some 1/2 Iowa Blues (Some are out of Minoras and some out of Turkens) They turned out very pretty.
I now have 17 eggs on to hatch Iowa Blue x Red Sexlink.
We ended up with just one rooster out of the ones we ordered from Ideal Hacthcery. So we pur him with different breeds of hens.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

What an interesting breed. Wish I had room for some, maybe sometime in the future.

Pretty birds everyone! I will be lurking... ~ Aspen

 

[mrheinz77]

I just thought I would post a picture of my Iowa Blue Cockerel that I got from Kari. His tail was nicer but he has finished a molt and I think some of the other guys liked his tail. I'll see if I can get any pictures of the youngsters I hactched from Trish and ebay eggs.
Jim