Icelandic Chickens

[mlm Mike]

My Icelandic girls are finally laying, so I have a question for you experienced Icelandic folks: I know they are supposed to lay white eggs, but the ones I have gotten so far are a light beige color. Some people might call the white, but I have had truly snow-white eggs before (from my Andalusians) and would not call these white. is this normal, or are these not typical and not breeding-quality? Not really an issue since I unloaded my roosters last week, but still....
Thanks!

Mine lay white. One thing I've noticed is the membrane seems thicker, harder to crack through when cooking.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Happy Chooks you were right!!!

If only I could get my DH to say that.

Yummy and Congrats!

 

[RedIII]

Just a few pictures

Looove your birds!

My Icelandic girls are finally laying, so I have a question for you experienced Icelandic folks: I know they are supposed to lay white eggs, but the ones I have gotten so far are a light beige color. Some people might call the white, but I have had truly snow-white eggs before (from my Andalusians) and would not call these white. is this normal, or are these not typical and not breeding-quality? Not really an issue since I unloaded my roosters last week, but still....
Thanks!

I'm glad I visited this thread again. I've been wondering the same thing since yesterday. I found a nest of four beautiful, cream-tinted eggs that I think are from my oldest Icelandic pullet. I know she's due to lay, and she's the only one that I've really seen going in and out of that bush. At first I was doing this:

And then the horrible thought occurred to me that it could be my BO playing a dirty trick. I've been watching both of them to see who it is, and the BO seems to be on strike still. I hope so bad that it's the Icelandic. These aggs are just beautiful.

 

[RedIII]

Okay, this picture made me wonder something. Who else here has or has had an Icelandic that's white (or has a lot of white) that is also crested? I have a pullet that's brown with some black and a lot of white spangling, as well as a white head and some white on her tummy and wings - she's crested, like the one pictured here. Just made me wonder if there could be some connection between the "white" color genes and crested genes? Kind of like how white cats will have blue eyes?

 

[NotAFarm]

In my flock, not all solid whites have had crests...
Neither of my original two hens had a crest but they both threw crests on their male and female chicks...and also threw crestless male and female chicks....regardless of color.

 

[RedIII]

Aww, well, that's that theory shot down. I saw the first picture of the white pullet and got a little excited at the idea.

 

[NotAFarm]

Aww, well, that's that theory shot down. I saw the first picture of the white pullet and got a little excited at the idea.

The solid whites with crests are beautiful birds.

On the egg color issue brought up earlier.....my two original hens' first eggs had a cream tint but as they got older and laid more, the eggs became white. I was concerned but it turned out that I was concerned over nothing.

 

[RedIII]

Oh, good! I'm so glad to hear that about the egg color. I found those eggs and thought, "These don't look like the same color of white you get at the store!" She is the only pullet that I am concerned about breeding. I'm trying to track down the seller that was selling "viking chicken" eggs on eBay some months ago to make sure she's purebred. Until then, she is simply here for pleasure. So, understandably, the cream color of the eggs scared me a bit

 

[drumstick diva]

Janelle, I am starving after seeing that gorgeous picture of the double yolker. I would love a bite.

 

[janelle18]

Janelle, I am starving after seeing that gorgeous picture of the double yolker. I would love a bite.

Did you see the size of the original egg?!! Can't believe my little girl layed that huge thing!!!! OUCH



p.s Does anyone else find store bought eggs creepy now? We had a couple left from before the hens started laying, they are so unnatural looking to me now after getting my own eggs from chickens i have had since they were in eggs! SO weird!