Iowa Blues - Breed thread and discussion

[ottbjumper06]

Kari and Connie, just message me or let me know if you have any cockerels that are 2-4 months old. I'm for sure going to the Mason City show so I could get them there if you like.

 

[Hurley]

I don't have what you want in that range. I've got a couple birchen males that age. My two older males I'm keeping for now. Next to that, I've got a small group of 1 week olds and 1 day olds with eggs cooking.

 

[ottbjumper06]

Thanks Connie, message me your prices on your sp chicks if you wouldn't mind. I need a cockerel and pullets are always a bonus.

 

[karimw]

Sorry, I've been off line, it's been busy here! I have a few spare cockerels I could bring to the Mason City show. I'll get some new pictures of them as well as my current flock. I have 8 broodies with 12 - 20 eggs each, and 3 more waiting for eggs. I just candled the cochin's clutch of 20 and only 1 SP was clear. Fertility is getting better I think!

 

[ottbjumper06]

Hi Kari yes I would definitely like to pick out a cockerel from your flock. I'd love to see pictures as well. Great news on the fertility! I hatched 12 out of 19 eggs I got from you and 11 survived, 4 being SP. So excited! I also got 4 SD and 3 Birchen.

 

[Hurley]

Been showing more and more improvement in fertility here, as well. My original IBs showed 50% fertility on average, now we're showing near 100% (negating the young pullet's first 5 to 10 efforts). Nice to see the fertility coming up.

 

[Hurley]

There has been discussion on do we need a name change from Birchen, and it seems that to be more correct, this should be considered.

Here are some photos of Gray Japanese Bantams - this looks more in line with what we want in our "birchens". Really looks like a name change is in order. We discussed this at the last NIPA show a little and had some input from judges recommending we consider naming them "gray" instead of "birchen".

It's looking more and more like we have the following types:

1) Silver Penciled - more fractured pattern than the typical penciled breed, Iowa Blue unique
2) Gray (what we know as birchen) - as in Japanese bantams - there is great variety in this from black with white lacing through moderately grey with heavy lacing.
3) Silver Gray (aka silver duckwing ) - as in Dorkings, bantams - ours have patterning involved that I'm not seeing on others, but the overall coloration is close.

Below are photos of Japanese Gray Bantams:

Check out the mossiness on this hen...

Here is a "gray" that is more gray than black ...

Day old "gray" chick...

Here are photos of Silver Duckwing aka Silver Gray:

Silver Duckwing and Silver Gray used interchangably (personally I like the sound of Silver Gray better, duckwing just sounds ugly to me for some reason).

Below are photos of Silver Gray Dorkings:

Silver Duckwing Bantams:

Wanted to post some information I've received from Bart Pals (NIPA show coordinator, judge):

BIRCHEN-
Male color

NECK-White with slender black stripe
BREAST-Upper breast-basic black with each feather finely laced with white, from throat to middle of breast

Female color

NECK-same as male
BREAST-same terminology as for male
__________________________________________________________________________________
GRAY
Male color

NECK-Silvery white with slender black stripe
BREAST-Lustrous black, each feather evenly laced with silvery white

Female color

NECK-black, each feather laced with white
BREAST-Black, each feather evenly laced with white
_________________________________________________________________________________

The Standard is not like the Bible, it is supposed to be taken literally, so "upper breast" means just that, as does "breast" (which means the whole breast). I think the ABA also has articles available regarding Gray/Birchen through their library of articles.



I think we need to decide as a club and decide soon so we can get the varieties set and accepted with as little confusion as possible. Taking on the Gray name over Birchen also encourages more lacing and a return to the more Iowa Blue original look.


P.S. Does anyone have the ABA Standard that could paste in the standard listed there for Gray?

 

[mrandmrschicken]

Connie I have the ABA SOP and will scan and add as soon as possible today.

 

[mrandmrschicken]

Difficult for me with older equipment to copy, description is on front and back of one page. From the 2006 SOP and I will compare this to the 79 SOP I have to check for differences. The '79 copy does not have the interesting Silkie example with "Chinchilla gray". If this is too difficult for anyone to read I can type it out.

 

[IowaBlueCurt]

Great discussion!

I like the idea very much of calling the Silver Duckwing pattern Silver Grey instead! Getting on to the discussion of Birchen vs. Grey, I'd much prefer calling them Grey. As Connie already said, this pattern allows for more white markings on the birds, and I think this will allow us to embrace the original chick down colorations as they develop into more of a Grey pattern as adults. This would also allow us to restore the original pattern rhythm of the original type. Personally I'd like to see our Standard changed to Grey/Gray (however is the correct spelling, I tend to be a E guy over the A....haha), and would like to see a little more allowance for shafting/stippling along the backs and sides of the hens being permitted. Maybe wording similar to such;

The Birchen Standard says this for the back. Back - Black
Maybe some tweeking to say Grey Standard, Back - Black, some shafting or stippling permitted.

The same sort of reading, maybe worded alittle better, could be worded for wings and coverts as well on the hen.

Thoughts? I would like to see the Standard reflect a bird closer to this bird of Kari's. Maybe not quite so white, but definately "greyer" than what we're currently seeing....


Thoughts?