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Sorry, I need a scanner, but here's a rough copy of the article (IB section only).
Text:
Iowa Blue exerpt from “Poultry Playoff” by Abby Trip Heverin in Hobby Farms Magazine; March/April 2013, pp. 34-42.
The Midwest
IOWA BLUE Midwestern through and through, this once-borderline-extinct breed is enjoying a resurgence. Developed in the early 20th century near Decorah, Iowa, the Iowa Blue established itself as a dual-purpose breed with excellent foraging capabilities. Iowa Blues were carried by several Iowa hatcheries through the mid-century, but the breed nearly disappeared when the hatcheries went out of business. Ken Whealy, of Decorah-based Seed Savers Exchange, rescued the breed from a few remaining flocks, and a handful of breeders have been working since the 1980s to preserve the breed. The 2012 formation of the Iowa Blue Chicken Club (www.iowabluechickenclub.com) marked a significant step toward promoting the breed, compiling an official standard and campaigning for APA recognition.
Connie Hurley, secretary and treasurer of the IBCC, began raising Iowa Blues on her southern-Wisconsin farm in 2011. “I have a soft spot for Iowa Blues, being a born-and-bred Iowa farm girl,” she explains. “I find their personalities and strengths in line with my Iowa upbringing. These birds are tough and temperature-resistant, doing well in the heat and humidity of our summers and frigid cold of our winters.”
Iowa Blue hens lay a good number of tinted cream to light-brown, medium to large eggs. Although they tend to be broody, IBCC president Jim Heinz says their consistency helps offset this. “My hens have laid eggs when my other breeds have stopped laying [due to cold weather],” he reports. Iowa Blue owners also praise the breed’s maternal habits.
In addition to being excellent foragers and pet-control champs, Iowa Blues have a knack for self defense. “I have witnessed two occasions of hens successfully fighting off hawk attacks,” reports IBCC vice president Kari McKay-Widdel. “I’ve seen both hens and roosters fight off potential predators, such as cats and opossums,” Hurley adds.
The Iowa Blue boasts an upright carriage and a medium-length, well-spread tail carried at a 70-degree angle. Its comb is medium-sized and bright red, with five to six well-defined points; its face, wattles and ear-lobes are also bright red. The IBCC currently includes two colorations in its preliminary standard: Birchen and Silver Penciled. Iowa Blue roosters and hens weight 7 and 5 pounds, respectively.
The breed is currently categorized in the ALBC Conservation Priority List’s Study category, which includes breeds that are of interest but lack genetic or historical documentation or definition.
Text:
Iowa Blue exerpt from “Poultry Playoff” by Abby Trip Heverin in Hobby Farms Magazine; March/April 2013, pp. 34-42.
The Midwest
IOWA BLUE Midwestern through and through, this once-borderline-extinct breed is enjoying a resurgence. Developed in the early 20th century near Decorah, Iowa, the Iowa Blue established itself as a dual-purpose breed with excellent foraging capabilities. Iowa Blues were carried by several Iowa hatcheries through the mid-century, but the breed nearly disappeared when the hatcheries went out of business. Ken Whealy, of Decorah-based Seed Savers Exchange, rescued the breed from a few remaining flocks, and a handful of breeders have been working since the 1980s to preserve the breed. The 2012 formation of the Iowa Blue Chicken Club (www.iowabluechickenclub.com) marked a significant step toward promoting the breed, compiling an official standard and campaigning for APA recognition.
Connie Hurley, secretary and treasurer of the IBCC, began raising Iowa Blues on her southern-Wisconsin farm in 2011. “I have a soft spot for Iowa Blues, being a born-and-bred Iowa farm girl,” she explains. “I find their personalities and strengths in line with my Iowa upbringing. These birds are tough and temperature-resistant, doing well in the heat and humidity of our summers and frigid cold of our winters.”
Iowa Blue hens lay a good number of tinted cream to light-brown, medium to large eggs. Although they tend to be broody, IBCC president Jim Heinz says their consistency helps offset this. “My hens have laid eggs when my other breeds have stopped laying [due to cold weather],” he reports. Iowa Blue owners also praise the breed’s maternal habits.
In addition to being excellent foragers and pet-control champs, Iowa Blues have a knack for self defense. “I have witnessed two occasions of hens successfully fighting off hawk attacks,” reports IBCC vice president Kari McKay-Widdel. “I’ve seen both hens and roosters fight off potential predators, such as cats and opossums,” Hurley adds.
The Iowa Blue boasts an upright carriage and a medium-length, well-spread tail carried at a 70-degree angle. Its comb is medium-sized and bright red, with five to six well-defined points; its face, wattles and ear-lobes are also bright red. The IBCC currently includes two colorations in its preliminary standard: Birchen and Silver Penciled. Iowa Blue roosters and hens weight 7 and 5 pounds, respectively.
The breed is currently categorized in the ALBC Conservation Priority List’s Study category, which includes breeds that are of interest but lack genetic or historical documentation or definition.
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I think at this time, quite frankly, we'll need to decide on a "type" to define first for Iowa Blues. Either you make the Silver's description general enough to cover the range of the variety from non-Co/Db to Co/Db or you pick one to focus on and get that approved (whatever the headliner, """true""" Iowa blue type we want to be) with the thought that, like Birchen, you could go for the other variety in the future. Personally, I think they are so similar that we can make a standard to cover them both. Much like with partridges and the lemon vs. red hackles, in shows you should have lemon to win, but the range is still present in the breed (especially since that look is a heterozygote for recessive white). Keep the description general and leave it to the breeders to select where they want their line to go, within the standard. 
