Iowa Blue Chicken Club members were in attendance to congratulate Amber O'Harrow, artist, for the dedication of her amazing sculpture of an Iowa Blue hen.  The sculpture is entitled "Iowa Blue:  The Urbane Chicken" and is one of 11 dedicated on Oct. 19th in Coralville Iowa along the Iowa River Landing and River Walk area.  The sculptures were all part of a grant and feature sculptures inspired by literary works.  "Betsy", as this hen is affectionately dubbed, was inspired by a 1980 poem by David B. Axelrod entitled "The man who fell in love with a chicken".

Further photographs of this lovely artwork may be found on the IBCC website here:  "Betsy"

A wonderful time was had at the North Iowa Poultry Expo in Mason City this past weekend.  The NIPA gave our club the opportunity to present a nice display.  We thank Judges John Monaco and Pat Lacey for their attention, thoughtful comments and recommendations.  Judge Lacey was kind enough to sit down with the club members attending and go through her thoughts on the standard and how it matches up with our birds.  Everyone was very enthusiastic and welcoming.  What a wonderful weekend!

Some IBCC club members are entering shows this fall, and specifically these three at least will show representation for the breed.  Entries for the first two will by closing the first week of September, so get those entries filled out!


See you there!!!

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NIPA Fall 2013 Expo
North Iowa Poultry Association's 2013 Fall Show
(Mason City, Iowa - Sept 21-22nd, 2013)
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WIPS 2013
Wisconsin International Poultry Show
(Portage, Wisconsin - Sept 28-29th, 2013)
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EIPA 2013
Eastern Iowa Poultry Association's 2013 Fall Show
(Details coming soon, catalog generally out by October)

Nov 30-Dec 1st, 2013 at
Sharpless Auction Complex
5049 County Road F44
Iowa City, Iowa

https://www.facebook.com/EasternIowaPoultryAssn

It’s not only a giant chicken, the clay model for a future bronze reincarnation at Coralville’s Iowa River Landing is of an Iowa Blue Chicken. Except for a limited number of Iowa poultry historians, that might not seem like a big deal – but it has excited the members of the Iowa Blue Chicken Club.

When the call went out for submission ideas for a sculpture park featuring the works of 11 Iowa artists, Amber O’Harrow had just the project in mind – the chicken.

O’Harrow owns Daisy Spider Art and Design. Though the Iowa Blue Chicken has a more provincial beginning in Decorah, the Frytown artist’s career spans continents, art mediums and universities. She received her BFA in textile design and fiber art from the Rhode Island School of design in Providence, RI, an MA in jewelry and metal arts with a minor in 3D design from the University of Iowa and a MFA in Jewelry and metal arts with a minor in sculpture from the University of Iowa.

Originally from California, she was an artist and private art instructor at Cambridge, UK, from 1991 to 2001 before following her career as an artist in France. She has shown works across the US and Europe and has pieces in a variety of permanent collections that include the Grassi Museum for Applied Arts in Leipzig, Germany, to the Coralville Performing Arts Center.

* Creating a clay model for a work of that size can normally take at least six months. But because of the application process and project deadline in September, said O’Harrow, she completed it in a month – working 11-12 hours a day, seven days a week. She had help with the armature from MaxCast. Her son Piers, she added, also helped, including with the feathering.

The mold of the clay model will be cut into sections for casting, with the bronze pieces then welded together to create the giant chicken.

But back to the chicken. The Iowa Blue originated in Decorah in the early 20th Century as a dual-purpose breed for both meat and eggs. Before the days of indoor factory chicken farms, the Iowa Blue was bred to be tolerant of both Iowa’s winters and summers, as well as good forgers and savvy in regard to predators.

Males are noted to be excellent flock guardians and are talented hawk fighters, according to the Iowa Blue Chicken Club.

“The Iowa Blue was developed in the early 1900’s near Decorah,” according to the Iowa Blue Chicken Club website.  “A folk legend tells the story of a white Plymouth Rock hen emerging from under a building with a clutch of chicks colored solid chestnut to striped.  Old-timers tell the tale that the chicks were sired by a pheasant. 

“The breed was carried by several Iowa hatcheries through the 1960s, but was nearly lost when the hatcheries went out of business.  The breed was rescued from near extinction and has been bred and preserved through the efforts of a few breeders since the late 1980s.  The Iowa Blue grew in popularity in 2011 with a group of dedicated breeders working to preserve and return the breed to its original type and purpose.”

As discussed and approved at the recent IBCC meeting, the following standard changes were made:

• Head shape – Change from “Medium in size” to “Medium in size, somewhat rounded in shape” for both hen and cock.
  
  
  • Approved by membership present
    
    
• Cock – silver penciled variety – change the front of neck from “black” to the same notation as the birchen variety, “black with white lacing.”
  
  
  • Approved by membership present
    
    
• Back – change from “level” to “slightly sloping” resulting in the entry reading “Medium length, strong, broad, and slightly sloping, blending well into the tail.”
  
  
  • Approved by membership present
    
    
• Head in the birchen standard – currently reads “plumage, white.” Concern for this not being achievable and currently not representative of the breed with all hens/pullets showing a black head.
  
  
  • Discussion ensued about white being desired, but will need to determine if this is possible.  White would be preferable but it is unknown at this time if this goal is achievable with current gene pool.
    
    
  • Discussion tabled pending further breeding, selection, and observation of results.
    
    

Hobby Farms has a lovely spread on the Iowa Blue in the current issue on the stands now.  Written by Curt Burroughs, it's a lovely informative article that is already generating a buzz for the breed.

We welcome the new members who have found us as a result!

Who's got those Iowa Blues?

US!  And we love them!

Thanks to all exhibiting and supporting us at the show, we had a wonderful time!


Next Shows Planned:

North Iowa Poultry Association's 2013 Fall Show
(Details coming soon, dates planned:  Sept 21-22nd, 2013)

http://www.northiowapoultry.com/


Eastern Iowa Poultry Association's 2013 Fall Show
(Details coming soon, typically last weekend in November)

https://www.facebook.com/EasternIowaPoultryAssn
http://www.poultryshowcentral.com/Eastern_Iowa_Poultry.html

We are planning to showcase the breed at these shows, 
and encourage anyone able to attend to come!

Curt has been hard at work tracking down any and all leads on the origins of our breed along with the search for more as yet unknown existing flocks.  Your tireless investigation has been invaluable to the body of historical knowledge.  Keep up the good work, Curt, and thank you from all of us!

Curt has recently finished his book, 

History and Characteristics 
of the Iowa Blue

and it is available to read and download in the Historical Archive.  A must read!