| iowa_blue_standard.pdf |
IOWA BLUE STANDARD
The Iowa Blue was developed from 1920 to 1950 by John Logsdon, on his farm near Decorah, Iowa. Multiple accounts of the creation and origin are told. The breed was carried by several Iowa hatcheries through the 1960s, but was nearly lost when many hatcheries went out of business. The breed was rescued from a few remaining flocks and has been bred and preserved through the efforts of a few breeders since the late 1980s. The Iowa Blue grew in popularity in 2010 with a group of dedicated breeders working together to preserve and return the breed to its original type and purpose.
ECONOMIC QUALITIES
A dual purpose fowl and active free range forager. Well developed maternal and protective instincts. Color of skin, white; color of egg shells, tinted.
STANDARD WEIGHTS
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Cock – 8 Pounds
Cockerel – 7 Pounds |
Hen – 7 Pounds
Pullet – 6 Pounds |
DISQUALIFICATIONS
(See General Disqualifications and Cutting for Defects in SOP)
Shape - MaleCOMB: Single; medium, tight to the head, thick at base, with six well defined, evenly spaced points, those in the front and rear slightly shorter than those in the middle, blade not conforming too closely to the shape of the head.
BEAK: Medium length, slightly curved. FACE: Fine texture, free from wrinkles. EYES: Large, round, and prominent. EAR LOBES: Medium in size, oval in shape, fitting close to the head. WATTLES: Medium in size. HEAD: Medium in size, rounded in shape. NECK: Moderately long, mild arch, forward and erect carriage. Hackle: Abundant and full, flowing well over shoulders and upper breast. BACK: Medium length, broad, and slightly sloping, blending into tail. TAIL: Medium length, moderately well spread, carried at an angle of seventy degrees above horizontal. Main Tail – moderately long, broad and overlapping. Sickles – moderate in length. Lesser Sickles and Coverts – moderate length, abundant, extending onto main tail. WINGS: Medium in length, carried close to the body under the saddle. BREAST: Strong, moderately deep, and well-rounded. BODY AND FLUFF: Body – broad, deep, and full. Fluff – moderately full. LEGS AND TOES: Legs set well apart, straight when viewed from the front. Lower Thighs – large, medium length, well feathered, smooth. Shanks –medium in length, smooth. Toes – four on each foot, medium length, straight, well-spread. |
Shape - FemaleCOMB: Single; medium, tight to the head, thick at base, with six well defined, evenly spaced points, those in the front and rear slightly shorter than those in the middle, blade not conforming too closely to the shape of the head.
BEAK: Medium length, slightly curved. FACE: Fine texture, free from wrinkles. EYES: Large, round, and prominent. EAR LOBES: Medium in size, oval in shape, fitting close to the head. WATTLES: Medium in size.HEAD: Medium in size, rounded in shape. NECK: Moderately long, mild arch, forward and erect carriage, blending well into shoulder. BACK: Medium length, broad, and slightly sloping, blending into tail. TAIL: Moderately long, dense, carried high at an angle of seventy degrees above horizontal. WINGS: Medium in length, carried close to the body. BREAST: Strong, moderately deep, and well-rounded. BODY AND FLUFF: Body – broad, deep, and full. Fluff – moderately full. LEGS AND TOES: Legs set well apart, straight when viewed from the front. Lower Thighs – large, medium length, well feathered, smooth. Shanks –medium in length, smooth. Toes – four on each foot, medium length, straight, well-spread. |
Coloration - MalesCOMB, FACE, EAR LOBES, WATTLES: Red.
HEAD: Silvery white. BEAK: Dark horn fading to light horn at tip. NECK: Hackle – web of feather, lustrous black with wide lacing of silvery white; shafts black. Front of neck – black with white tips. BACK: Back including saddle – web of feather, lustrous black with heavy lacing of silvery white, shafting of white permissible. White predominating on surface of upper back. TAIL: Main Tail – web, black. Main and Lesser Sickles – lustrous black with bluish sheen, white lacing permitted. Coverts: lustrous black with bluish sheen, laced with white. WINGS: Fronts – black. Bows – silvery white. Coverts: lustrous black with bluish sheen, forming a distinct wing bar of this color across entire wing when folded. Silvery white markings permissible. Primaries – black with edging of white on lower edge of lower webs. Secondaries – black upper web, white lower web tapering to a point and terminating in a black feather tip. The secondaries, when folded, are covered by the draping white saddle feathers, and form a triangular white wing bay between the wing bar and black secondary feather tips. BREAST: Lustrous black with bluish sheen, tipped with white edging. White shafting permissible. BODY AND FLUFF: Body – black tipped with white edging. Fluff – slate. LEGS AND TOES: Thighs – black, tipped with white edging. Shanks and Toes – slate |
Coloration - FemalesCOMB, FACE, EAR LOBES, WATTLES: Red.
HEAD: Silvery white. BEAK: Dark horn fading to light horn at tip. NECK: Hackle – web of feather black with wide lacing of silvery white giving overall appearance of a white hackle. Front of neck – lacing, blending into breast. BREAST: Upper breast – white with black lacing. Lower breast – gray with black penciling. BACK: Gray penciling, becoming more stippled toward the tail, giving an overall blue gray appearance. TAIL: Main Tail – upper web on top feathers stippled, lower web slate, remainder of tail slate. Coverts - gray with stippled penciling. WINGS: Fronts, Bows, and Coverts – gray with black penciling Primaries – slate with light gray penciling, stippled on lower webs Secondaries – lower webs gray with black penciling, upper webs slate, stippling toward the end. BODY AND FLUFF: Body – gray with black penciling, becoming stippled toward the tail, giving an overall blue gray appearance. Fluff – gray with penciling fading toward the tail. LEGS AND TOES: Thighs – gray with penciling. Shanks and Toes – slate. UNDERCOLOR OF ALL SECTIONS: Slate. |
Revised 05-16-2014
