Iowa Blues - Breed thread and discussion

[LiLRedCV]

Quote:
All of mine are from this hatchery.

I have one IB rooster and 8 IB hens from them. All 2011 hatches.

My IB rooster - spring 2011 hatch
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb273/inc0gnit0_OK/Iowa Blue Chickens/IMG_20111014_140023.jpg

One of my IB hens - spring 2011 hatch
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb273/inc0gnit0_OK/Iowa Blue Chickens/DSC_0025.jpg

Another of my IB hens - spring 2011 hatch
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb273/inc0gnit0_OK/Iowa Blue Chickens/IMG_20111013_093021.jpg

Is there any way to get a frontal shot of your cockerel?

Per your request: Frontal view

 

[mrheinz77]

Thank you. He looks really nice.

 

[Lifesong Farm]

Quote:
Could I see pics of the preferred hen color?

 

[Lifesong Farm]

Just wanted to give an update on the MrHeinz eggs I got. Even though he packs very well the post office must have played toss the fragile package because I had 4 with separated air cells. Out of my 12 eggs I have 6 developing and it is day 5. 50% out of roughly handled eggs is pretty darn good in my book. Fingered crossed that they make it to hatch day!

 

[Lifesong Farm]

Double Post

 

[kstaven]

Shipping eggs is always a gamble. I have seen what I would call bullet proof packing with a goodly number of write off eggs. Even had zero hatch scenarios.

 

[Lifesong Farm]

Quote:
I know. I have had 2 batches of shipped eggs do nothing, 1 batch only hatch 1 out of 6and another only hatch 2 out of 20. With 6 out of 12 developing I feel pretty darn good.

 

[karimw]

Quote:
Could I see pics of the preferred hen color?

The color on LilRedCV's chickens are pretty darn close if we go by the description in Story's illustrated breed book. There is no standard for them so at this point it's kind of up to us what we breed for. I don't know if "preferred" is the right word, but I like these girls, though it's way overload on the Birchen. These chicks are born brown.

Edited to add, I'm breeding for both.

 

[mrheinz77]

Isn't that the color of the hen shown in Storey's Guide?

 

[LiLRedCV]

The combs on my girls are so drastically different! One is very small, the other pretty large (almost to the point I thought she was a rooster when younger!). Not sure what size comb we want to be aiming for, but since they were allegedly created in the heartland of Iowa - where it gets really super cold during the winter months - I was thinking the smaller comb or something mid-way between the two? I, for one, would also like to see more penciling feathers on the neck to give them a bit more distinction.