Iowa Blues - Breed thread and discussion

[ottbjumper06]

OK, I thought you had plans that weekend. 

Nope, the show is my plans. I'm getting pretty excited about it!

 

[Hurley]

I'm an Iowa Blue newbie. I got my first chick in April. she's about 24 weeks now and has been laying for about 2 weeks. Her eggs come in at a steady, miniscule 29 grams and are staying that way. Is this normal? Will they eventually get bigger? Right now they're great bite-sized snacks, but they're kind of pathetic.

Not being familiar with IBs, we thought that she may have been in the wrong tray at the feed store and I accidentally got an assorted bantam. She's quite small. But I've been looking at your pics of the IBs here, and she does appear to be the right chicken. Beautiful black with silver/birchen feathers around her nck, dark eyes and and proud upright tail. She's a plucky, though little bird with a lot of personality. We adore her. But those eggs...

and how big is a hen supposed to be? I don't think this little lady is more than 3-4 pounds. I may weight her and get some pictures today just out of curiosity. I'm trying to learn mroe about them, as I think I may want to get more IB chicks next year (unless the eggs are really supposed to be that size - gah!)

Hello Freia,

The breed right now is kind of all over in the size department of bird, depending on what line they are from. Some are as small as 3-4 pounds, others are larger. I can tell you from my experience in egg size, often the first eggs are bantam egg size. They do get bigger over the course of a month or so to a medium size in general. I've had some larges as well, but in general mine seem to medium sized egg layers.

Egg shape seems to be quite variable, as well. I've had anything from nearly round eggs to oblong torpedo eggs. Again, most of them even out to a normal shaped medium sized egg at maturity, but my pullet eggs for the first few weeks are pretty small.

These guys are not going to lay the ginormous eggs of the specialized laying breeds, and personally it's something I'd like to select towards is a little bit larger egg, but they do give a respectable sized medium egg on average. At least mine do.

 

[Jake Levi]

Kari I like the conformation of the Birchen in the first two pictures the best, a very nice brick shape showing there. So, pair him with SPs. I think he is a keeper. Conformation first, color after other production factors. Thats my order of priorities.

Re egg size, the eggs that my youngsters were hatched from were all good sized and well shaped mediums.

 

[Freia]

Thanks for the info. It's so hard to find any real information about the breed online. Every web site has the same generic 2 paragraphs.

I will say one thing about her eggs though: quality not quantity! She lays 4-5 eggs a week, and small as they are, I have never seen anything so beautiful or perfect. They're a perfect egg-shape, and the shell is as smooth and flawless and the finest porcelain. Crack open a mini-egg, and the white and yolk are in perfect proportions, with the yolk being the deepest orange I've ever seen in an egg.

When I think my omelette is looking a little pale, I just add one of Lexie's "Picker-upper" eggs and voila - an impressive gourmet-omelette.

I have some time tomorrow, I'll try to get a picture of Lexie "the moving target" and her fantabulous - if tiny - eggs. I can't imagine the dishes I'll concoct if her eggs pick up in size.

 

[Freia]

OK, she stood still for a 1/2 second. Here's Lexie. She IS an Iowa Blue, right?

And then her very impressive (!) egg on the left. That egg was laid after she's been laying for 2.5 weeks now. The egg in the middle is my Wellsummer's first egg. Egg on the right is from my Mottled Java. By weight they are peewee, small, and large.

 

[karimw]

OK, she stood still for a 1/2 second. Here's Lexie. She IS an Iowa Blue, right?

And then her very impressive (!) egg on the left. That egg was laid after she's been laying for 2.5 weeks now. The egg in the middle is my Wellsummer's first egg. Egg on the right is from my Mottled Java. By weight they are peewee, small, and large.

I'd say she is likely an Iowa Blue, she's certainly the right shape. Most of my hens lay a decent medium egg and though I'd like to see them bigger, they are just fine for me

 

[WVDan44]

Set 25 IB pullet eggs in my homemade 'bator on 8/25, candled on 9/2 and 9/9, culled out 6 eggs that were not fertile and marked 3-4 others that were suspect, last night noticed a pip, already have one healthy chick out, 8 more pipping, about 36-48 hrs early but they seem to be healthy. I'll post the results when available.

 

[karimw]

Set 25 IB pullet eggs in my homemade 'bator on 8/25, candled on 9/2 and 9/9, culled out 6 eggs that were not fertile and marked 3-4 others that were suspect, last night noticed a pip, already have one healthy chick out, 8 more pipping, about 36-48 hrs early but they seem to be healthy. I'll post the results when available.

Hooray!

 

[karimw]

Ottojumper, I'll try to ID the Silver Penciled cockerels better for you.

#1 He is likely an April hatchling. He has the best tail angle and deepest chest. His eyes and legs are lighter than I'd like and his color could be cleaner, but that should improve with age.


#2 Lower right - Also May or April hatch. Lighter colored, darker legs and eyes, not quite the depth of chest and a higher tail set than #1. Good size though.




#3 I know you said you liked this guy, but his tail angle is ridiculous, Well past 90 degrees and not showing signs of outgrowing it. I wouldn't choose him if your females have the same problem.


#4 Now this guy is only about 3 months old, but so far shows a nice tail set and good color.


#5 Another young one. Also nice type, a bit bigger than #4 and a better comb.


#6 Youngster - a lot lighter colored over all. A bit smaller than the others, though could be younger.


Let me know if you want me to bring any of them for you.

 

[karimw]

Here are some shots of the February hatch F1 Rock crosses:






They are really friendly birds and great layers.

Here are a few F2 with their Iowacana foster mom. The F1 pullets were in with a Silver Grey/Duckwing cockerel and I'm getting about 50/50 Silver Penciled and Silver Grey. Some of them are pure Iowa Blue, but most are Rock crosses. to be on the safe side, I'm calling them all crosses.