Iowa Blues - Breed thread and discussion

[karimw]

I have a funny Iowa Blue story to share. I know people always give the Iowa Blue roosters props for being protective, but I think it's the hens that are amazing. I recently released my young IaB flock into the barn yard where I eliminated all but two Icelandic roosters, that I couldn't bear to send to the freezer. Rainbow minds his own business, but Red Bandit raids all the flocks and makes a general nuisance of himself. He has been paying attention to the new girls and has the two Iowa Blue cockerels, Geo and Gremlin terrified. I was watching the flock and bring to figure out why Red wasn't trying to mate any of the Iowa Blue hens. One of the EE flock hens came over to scratch with the Iowa Blues and Red tried for her, and immediately the Iowa Blue hens attacked him and drove him away. No wonder he is so polite to them. I think the ladies are going to run this barn!

 

[bigmrg74]

My new Iowa hen. A reject from Candy and Fivewire's flock as she's not really a standard Iowa look, but I'm really looking more for layers who do well with some limited free-ranging. I still think she's pretty, even if she tried to take a hunk out of my forearm today.

Guess who is a big girl today?? Got a text today saying that she had 3 eggs in her quarantine coop. I didn't think she was quite that ready yet. thought her comb would need to redden up more first.


Itty bitty things.

 

[karimw]

 

[Candy442]

Our smokey broody sitting on three Iowa eggs, two hatched this morning. One a birchen the other a silver! still waiting on the third one to hatch, but we got a little silver YAY. Brett will post the pics later I'm sure

 

[iamfivewire]

 

[Candy442]

Really interested in how the lower chick will feather out. Not really a smokey and not really a silver These three came out of our charcoal boy JB over the original hens and his cousins from Gandalf. Must mean JB has a silver gene, doesn't it? I hope and wouldn't it be nice the silver is a boy? May even get a nice pattern on the dark one. What does everyone think?

 

[karimw]

Really interested in how the lower chick will feather out. Not really a smokey and not really a silver These three came out of our charcoal boy JB over the original hens and his cousins from Gandalf. Must mean JB has a silver gene, doesn't it? I hope and wouldn't it be nice the silver is a boy? May even get a nice pattern on the dark one. What does everyone think?Honesty I believe this is the way to go. I've been selling most of my silvers and keeping the smokies.

I would say JB is carrying e+ (Smokey)
This chick hatched out the typical brown mottled silver. I believe they are built on eb allele(brown) with Db, and autosomal barring making the checkered appearance. The pattern gene is present because of the mottling and will push the pigment into lacing or penciling on the adult birds.


This chick is based on e+, (Smokey) with Db, autosomal barring and the pattern gene. They hatch with dark stripes and dark color down the back, kind of a combination of Silver and Smokey. I identify these chicks by the prominent eyeliner. The heads and breast on these will be nice and white if they don't have the autosomal red. I will cull if they do.

Another smokey.

Another silver.


I need to update the pictures of these birds to show how similar they look now.

 

[Candy442]

I would say JB is carrying e+ (Smokey)

This chick hatched out the typical brown mottled silver. I believe they are built on eb allele(brown) with Db, and autosomal barring making the checkered appearance. The pattern gene is present because of the mottling and will push the pigment into lacing or penciling on the adult birds.

I need to update the pictures of these birds to show how similar they look now.

It is amazing to us that the chicks can all look so different early then feather out to look so similar. With the exception of one all black and one mostly white, our Iowa's turn into mostly lighter or darker versions of "silver". We do have two that have red on them that were born smokey, but they were hens and we decided they can contribute to the egg sales One of those red/smokey hens turned broody, the only Iowa we have in our flock to ever sit on eggs. She hatched the three pictured above. Thanks for your input Kari

 

[lizzychick]

My daughter and I drove up to Wisconsin to pick up some of these beautiful birds. I got one Iowa Blue chick and 2 Iowa Blue-Ameraucana crosses. I immediately forgot which was which. A friend took one and now I have two cuties with no idea how to tell which type they are. Your opinions on breed/ sex would be very greatly appreciated!!

The chick with the white head has the greenish legs. The chick with the black head has whitish/light gray legs. Aren't they adorable?

 

[Candy442]

My daughter and I drove up to Wisconsin to pick up some of these beautiful birds. I got one Iowa Blue chick and 2 Iowa Blue-Ameraucana crosses. I immediately forgot which was which. A friend took one and now I have two cuties with no idea how to tell which type they are. Your opinions on breed/ sex would be very greatly appreciated!!






The chick with the white head has the greenish legs. The chick with the black head has whitish/light gray legs. Aren't they adorable?

They are lovely! Definitely the top photo of the black feathered head is the Iowa/Ameraucana cross The Iowa has the white head and patterned body feathers. Enjoy them