Iowa Blues - Breed thread and discussion

[Candy442]

Thanks Connie! The Iowa Blue Chicken Club's Standard Committee spent many long hours updating the Standard to incorporate new historical information, genetic understandings, as well as judge feedback from a very successful show season. This was so small undertaking, and many thanks go to the Standard Committee for their hard work and dedication.

For those of you who frequent this thead and aren't part of the club. Now is a perfect time to get involved. This breed has been neglected for many years and as such, there are many dicisions that need to be made as we more toward breed restoration, preservation, and promotion. In many breed clubs, the breed is already defined and as such there are not a lot of options to get involved in the decision making process of the breed and the breed's future. The Iowa Blue has always been different, sort of the "black sheep of the family" within the chicken world (maybe that's why so many of us relate to the Iowa Blues! haha) Anyway, we have many, many opportunities to make impactual decisions which will hopefully put the Iowa Blue on a path of prosperity for future generations to enjoy.

Get involved. And help us to leave a lasting experience for those that come after us!

and here is another reason why

Our first broody successfully hatched this cutie Iowa Blue less than 12 hours ago!! This one is all solid color, very dark brown and looks very similar to our other charcoal when it was born! These birds are so hearty and full of personality!

 

[IowaBlueCurt]

I love broody hens and chicks! Keep us posted on the rest of your hatch. Great pic by the way.

 

[IowaBlueCurt]

Candy,

can you get a better pic of the chick and it's color? In the pic it looks black, but you said in person it looks chestnut. I'd like to see a pic that really captures its coloration well.

 

[Candy442]

Candy,

can you get a better pic of the chick and it's color? In the pic it looks black, but you said in person it looks chestnut. I'd like to see a pic that really captures its coloration well.

Yes we sure will try and get one in the next few days. Our broody is sitting on two more eggs that have not pipped yet, so we do not wish to disturb her too much right now.

Nat (my avatar picture) our other charcoal started out that dark too very dark brown.black), but she had the absence of any yellow/gray down spots on her body. In the light you could see the chestnut brown in her down, but she looked black from a distance. Then, a week later started to pop the laced feathers!

This one appears the same as Nat... It's way early to tell though.

 

[IowaBlueCurt]

I'm excited to see pics of your little one. Also, when you get a chance, take some updated photos of Nat from the side if you could. I would like to give Nat a good "once over" and see how the pattern is developing on the bird.

 

[Candy442]

I'm excited to see pics of your little one. Also, when you get a chance, take some updated photos of Nat from the side if you could. I would like to give Nat a good "once over" and see how the pattern is developing on the bird.

Here is a photo of Flap and Nat as day old chicks. The only one I have:

Nat is the one on the left...see how black she looked?


Nat one week old:


Nat taken last week, 9 weeks old. Her head is starting to silver up near her eyes.



I will get one of her side tonight

 

[IowaBlueCurt]

Great looking Charcoal Candy! Notice how her breast has a single black lacing on it which so closely mimics the updated Standard and what we are looking for in the breed. Remember, John Logston bred the Smoky, Silver, and Charcoal all to look as close to the Silver coloration as possible. When we see Smokeys and Charcoals (like Nat) that are expressing characteristics of the Silver we know we're heading in the right direction. I would set and hatch every egg I get out of her! Perpetuate her as much as possible!!!

 

[IowaBlueCurt]

CALLING ALL IOWA BLUE BREEDERS!

​

To everyone who breeds Iowa Blues and sells stock - I encourage you all to document who you sold stock to! Start a journal that lists information partaining to the sale/ movement of stock. Not a lot is needed. Below is a rough idea of what information should be kept:

• Name of individual purchasing/obtaining the stock.
• Contact info for that individual. Preferably an address, but at the very least a town and state (this along with the name is the most important info needed should someone years from now try to locate said individual). Emails and phone numbers are good, however, people change these every couple of years and so they tend to be unreliable contacts.
• Date transaction took place.
• What was sold/traded/given. Talking numbers of birds and most importantly what variations (Smokey/Silver/Charcoal).

The reason for this is because should we ever be in a situation where we needed to locate stock again, it would be very helpful to have this sort of contact info. When I started researching and putting together our historical archives section, it was so frustrating to finally locate someone to interview, I'd ask them if they ever sold/gave stock, and their replays were almost always, "yes, but I don't remember who I sent birds to." It's highly possible, somewhere along some country road, that a flock of Iowa Blues is ranging the yard and are direct decendents of Ransome Bolson's flock. How valuable this would be to our breed. However, if we don't as breeders keep diligent records of where our stock it going, we may loose track of very important flocks in years to come!

 

[karimw]

Yep, I have 3 years worth of records.

 

[Hurley]

Same, NPIP requirement, anyway.