Iowa Blues - Breed thread and discussion

[FlashPointFarm]

Thank you for posting this! It was so helpful. I think I've been culling the wrong birds. This is why I love BYC!!!!


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[Henk69]

Chookschick asked me to look at this thread, but 39 pages!
Is there a concrete question I can answer?
Or can anyone make a summary...

 

[Myabcs3]

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Henk69, Thank you for joining and sharing your knowledge. There are many questions and many more sure to bubble up, but overall, with very limited genetic knowledge, I am curious on how to proceed and move the breed closer to the standard (sited in the first post) and as represented in pics posted by Hurley and karimw. First, from reviewing the limited information, is the standard based on true birchen or on a silver grey? i think determining this first, or getting agreement on this, will allow further discussion of how to move forward with the genetics currently being shown.

I am most certainly the newbie on this thread, so please others add, correct or redirect!

 

[ChooksChick]

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Hi, Henk!

Thanks so much for popping in! This rare breed is described as:

Iowa Blue

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. Males are vigorous breeders and mature quite early.

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.



The breed 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).

Some advice regarding breeding birchen breeds from a 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.

NOW- that being said, we're wondering if there's a path that ought to be taken with these birds to get them back to this description on color. Breeders are finding the brown down in chicks is indicative of those birds that have different coloring as adults, and I'm wondering if you have any input on fluff color?

 

[Henk69]

What you want is a pure birchen. The chicks should be dark to almost black with dark legs, not the stippled kind.
The roosters should not have the white breast areas, only laced/shafted with silver.
Birchen's characteristics are the crow wing and the clean/nice patterned silver hackle. The breast lacing can vary a lot.

I would not prefer a double mating breed, but when you do so, you must take a individual of the preferred gender that is excellently marked, not take two opposites to get the middle thing.

 

[dfr1973]

De-lurking to shamelessly beg for pics of desirable ideals versus what is not desirable.

And just about any other pics y'all care to show off WRT IBs, for that matter (still looking for land to set up my chickendom ...)

 

[Henk69]

There are nice birchens like silver sussex or in Niederrheiner fowl

 

[karimw]

This is such an odd breed. If you order them you will get mostly black chicks that grow up to look like these from Privett and Ideal:
C

When you cross them you get brown and black chicks that grow up to look like these:
Brown cockerel

Brown pullet

Black cockerel

Black pullet

So given this information which ones do we use?

 

[Henk69]

cross them to themselves?
Use the black ones.

 

[ChooksChick]

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Although more interesting, the ones that result from the browns look incompletely patterned to me, so I would always cull the browns.

Henk, and thank you so much for weighing in!!

You guys are going to get me hooked on yet another breed if I don't watch it!! Sheesh!!!