Icelandic Chickens - Page 1449

Regardless of philosophy I think the Sheriff has a valid concern about cross breeding these birds. In reality you aren't likely to injure the breed directly or lose genetic identity by letting your Icelandic roosters cover a mixed breed flock. You keep the strain pure by always keeping your breeding flock under lock and key, but who cares if your extra roos play the field? Here's why. Take the Friesian horse for example, in Europe, pure registered mares can not be crossed on another breed (I think on penalty of death) and pure stallions can not be bred to non Friesian mares. In the US this has been relaxed somewhat with a different registry and Friesian stallions that will out cross are common. Why? because there is huge market for it. It also isn't as dangerous as it used to be because of DNA testing. If you pay for a pure Star or Preferent horse, you'll likely be getting untainted genes. BUT I crossed a black Percheron mare to a Friesian stallion and the resulting filly looks to the untrained eye just like a Friesian should. People always assume she is full Friesian and I am quick to correct them.

So there's the rub isn't it? With such a varied phenotype existing in the Icelandic chickens, how do you know by looking at them which ones are pure? I am a novice here and I couldn't tell by looking at Totalcolor's birds. I am not trying to target anyone, I find it likely, with my mixed flock and sneaky hens, that a broody will someday come back from the dead to present me with mixed batch of chicks with suspicious mottling. I know at that time I'll need to take steps to prevent confusion with the pure breeds. And that most definitely involves not letting anyone else have them. 

I think it's awesome there are so many knowledgeable people backing the Icelandic cause, I wish there were more in the corner for Iowa Blues!