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The Iowa Blue is an American breed that was developed in the early 1900's near Decorah, Iowa by John Logsdon. The original stock came in a unique form of the silver penciled pattern that made the hens appear to be a blue-grey color from a distance, hence the name. It was available through the 1960’s from several hatcheries, but it lost popularity and was nearly extinct before several dedicated breeders began efforts to preserve the remaining flocks in the 1980’s. It is currently undergoing a re-surge in popularity. The Iowa Blue breed club is currently working on fulfilling the requirements for APA recognition, they anticipate meeting the requirements by 2017.
The Iowa Blue is a dual-purpose bird, exceptional foragers with good predator awareness, and the roosters are good flock protectors especially against hawks. The hens are good layers, will go broody and are good mothers. They are an excellent breed for the homesteader and are becoming more popular with the backyard flock owner looking for a friendly productive brown egg layer.
A number of different breeds have gone into its make up, originally including Black Minorca, Rhode Island Red, White Rocks, and legend has it, a pheasant cock was used to produce the original stock.
It is currently found in four colors, Silver, Charcoal, Smoky and Birchen. They are single combed with medium sized comb and wattles. They are quite weather hardy, tolerating both heat and cold.
Details:
Breed purpose: Dual purpose.
Comb Type: Single, medium-large sized.
Broodiness: Occasional, good mothers.
Climate Tolerance: Good, hardy in both heat and cold.
Weight: Proposed standard calls for roosters 8 lbs, hens 7 lbs.
Egg Productivity: Good.
Egg Size: Medium-Large
Egg Colour: Brown
Note: They are available from Ideal Poultry.
Iowa Blue Flock picture @karimw
Iowa Blue Hen picture @brucelanthier
Iowa Blue Rooster picture @brucelanthier
Iowa Blue Chicks picture @Iowablu
They have also been immortalized with a five foot cast aluminum statue; Iowa Blue: The Urbane Chicken, nicknamed “Betsy Blue” part of the Iowa River Landing Sculpture Walk in Coralville, Iowa.
"Betsy Blue" picture @Hurley
Link to the BYC Breed reviews:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/iowa-blue
Link to the Exhibition, Genetics, & Breeding to the Standard of Perfection thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/469317/iowa-blues-breed-thread-and-discussion/0_20
Link to the General breed discussions & FAQ thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/823838/iowa-blue-chickens-understanding-the-traditional-type/0_20
Do you own Iowa Blues? Are you an Iowa Blue breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:
· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!
We have a bunch of other awesome breed-focus threads for you to enjoy. You can see all of them here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-project.975504/
The Iowa Blue is a dual-purpose bird, exceptional foragers with good predator awareness, and the roosters are good flock protectors especially against hawks. The hens are good layers, will go broody and are good mothers. They are an excellent breed for the homesteader and are becoming more popular with the backyard flock owner looking for a friendly productive brown egg layer.
A number of different breeds have gone into its make up, originally including Black Minorca, Rhode Island Red, White Rocks, and legend has it, a pheasant cock was used to produce the original stock.
It is currently found in four colors, Silver, Charcoal, Smoky and Birchen. They are single combed with medium sized comb and wattles. They are quite weather hardy, tolerating both heat and cold.
Details:
Breed purpose: Dual purpose.
Comb Type: Single, medium-large sized.
Broodiness: Occasional, good mothers.
Climate Tolerance: Good, hardy in both heat and cold.
Weight: Proposed standard calls for roosters 8 lbs, hens 7 lbs.
Egg Productivity: Good.
Egg Size: Medium-Large
Egg Colour: Brown
Note: They are available from Ideal Poultry.
Iowa Blue Flock picture @karimw
Iowa Blue Hen picture @brucelanthier
Iowa Blue Rooster picture @brucelanthier
Iowa Blue Chicks picture @Iowablu
They have also been immortalized with a five foot cast aluminum statue; Iowa Blue: The Urbane Chicken, nicknamed “Betsy Blue” part of the Iowa River Landing Sculpture Walk in Coralville, Iowa.
"Betsy Blue" picture @Hurley
Link to the BYC Breed reviews:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/iowa-blue
Link to the Exhibition, Genetics, & Breeding to the Standard of Perfection thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/469317/iowa-blues-breed-thread-and-discussion/0_20
Link to the General breed discussions & FAQ thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/823838/iowa-blue-chickens-understanding-the-traditional-type/0_20
Do you own Iowa Blues? Are you an Iowa Blue breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:
· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!
We have a bunch of other awesome breed-focus threads for you to enjoy. You can see all of them here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-project.975504/
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