When I decided I wanted to raise the Isbar/Silverudds Blues, I looked long and hard to find a breeder with only first import birds and no other line crossed in. My efforts paid off and I got some very nice birds with that hatch. I then looked around and got some recommendations for a second line of pure first imports and and got another batch of eggs to hatch. The youngsters are almost 2 months old and are looking very nice. I am very pleased with the group and am looking forward to pairing them up with the ones I currently have for some genetic diversity.
I ended up with a lot of blues in this hatch. While I wanted to get more blacks, the blues will still be a good addition to our breeding pens. The three blacks we ended up with are all pullets, so they will be paired with my black rooster Elvis to produce clean blacks with good type.
Since I have black and Splash roosters I am happy with, I was looking to get a nice blue rooster out of the bunch. My preference is for a very dark blue and so far, this guy fits the bill. He is the only blue I have this dark and he is also the largest bird of the hatch. I have yet to see the lighter color coming out in his hackles so will just have to wait and see if he will be silver or gold. He has nice dark eyes and legs and so far is my favorite boy.
This is another one I am keeping an eye one. A bit smaller and lighter than the previous one, he is already showing some silver coloring in the hackle area. He is also a bit bolder and friendlier then the rest. While I do look for color and type, good temperament is also a very important consideration for me. Again we have nice dark eyes and legs so he is another I will be keeping an eye on in the next few months.
This pullet is the lightest bird we hatched. Over time I will breed away from this lighter coloring and concentrate on getting deep rich blues. Since she is so light, she will end up with Elvis so hopefully his darker color will give me darker blues. I also have the possibility of getting blacks so will be watching to make sure they stay dark and of good quality as well.
Another lovely blue pullet. She is showing the beginnings of some nice lacing in her feathers. I am not sure how I feel about the lacing. Some birds are quite stunning with it. Since the Isbars do not have a breed standard of perfection, I get to decide what I want to breed towards. In general, they are to have dark eyes and legs and produce tons of eggs. The colors are blue, black and splash with some having gold and others having silver in the roosters. They should not have any brown or rust showing in the feathers from another color leakage. So I guess I get to grow these guys out and pick a direction.
I was looking to get a number of nice blacks from this hatch. I ended up with three pullets that do appear to be pretty clean so far. I do not see any rust in the hackles and at this time they are a nice, dark and rich, black. Fingers crossed they stay this way.
Overall I am please with this hatch. The girls should not be laying until sometime in November. We have a few more months to grow them out and make some changes in our breeding pens. Unfortunately I will have some very nice cockerels that will need a new home, but I think I will be hanging on to them for a bit just to see them mature.
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