Icelandic Chickens

[tommysgirl]

yes Deb what you need is more pens!

 

[mbmess2003]

remember this hen? she hatched out the Icee chicks for the Easter hatch..... she weaned her chicks about 2 weeks ago....she is broody again!

 

[tommysgirl]

She is beautiful!! I love those markings.

remember this hen? she hatched out the Icee chicks for the Easter hatch..... she weaned her chicks about 2 weeks ago....she is broody again!

 

[debs_flock]

yes Deb what you need is more pens!

I already have Icelandic

Brad got those last two sets of eggs from me

NO MORE PENS.......................although I found a decent deal for a pen on CL, LOL

 

[Jake Levi]

remember this hen? she hatched out the Icee chicks for the Easter hatch..... she weaned her chicks about 2 weeks ago....she is broody again!

That really is one beautiful hen ! She's a keeper, a flock necessity.

And there really is always, almost, room for just one more pen

Try it, you'll love it !

 

[joyous]

I think it would be foolish of us to think that over the centuries, Viking families did not "chose toward" or "chose away" from certain traits. A certain flock may have been known for it's mottling (like Lyle Behl's) and another may have been know for it's blue feathering (like Sigrid's) and yet another may have been known as prolific egglayers and another for it's large single combs or unique rose comb and another for their dark legs and so on. I would love to keep every one of the chicks hatched here but that is not possible. Some choices have to be made. The Vikings made choices about who to eat for dinner and which birds would be kept through a winter season with meager supplies. We have choices to make and our goal should be the same as theirs was. We should want to keep healthy, efficient, beautiful/handsome representatives of this treasure that will produce more of their kind in the future. We may all have different reasons for making the choices of who stays and who goes, but we should all want to chose wisely with our primary goal being to keep the genetic pool diverse and pure. There will be those that may want to chose to have a flock of all mottled and crested birds....to those I say, why didn't you just chose Swedish Flower Hens? They were bred "toward" mottling and crests so why not just have them? Icelandics can be mottled and crested but it shouldn't be the only reason we have them because they are more than mottled and crested. They are genetically a treasure. Consistently choosing "toward" or "away" from certain traits will eventually cause a narrowing of the genetic "choices" available.
Okay, so I'm a bit passionate about these birds..... I'll get off the soap box and give someone else a turn.
Seinna, The Other Mary

Hi Mary! I was browsing and came apon this, I agree whole heartedly! I built a new coop last year and had several breeding pens, but I decided this year that was exactly the wrong thing to do with these birds! I now have them all together with two roos that get along splendidly! I will let nature decide who breeds who, and how exciting to see what comes out each hatch! Since I only raise two breeds, I take turns with who gets to free range so as to never mix them, so every other day they get to free range, but have large outdoor pens for their days in! Just to let you know your line is healthy, happy, reproducing and doing great! Such healthy and active birds!!!

 

[NotAFarm]

Hi Joy!

I'm glad you checked-in!!
It's good to hear the Icelandics are "happy, healthy, reproducing and doing great"! You'll have to take a few pictures sometime this summer so we can all enjoy them.
I'm glad you worked-out a system with the Dorkings that allows both of them to have time free-ranging. I think mine benefit from the ability to forage and spread out, especially the mommas with chicks in tow. It is great entertainment to just sit and watch them divide into their "subgroups" and "claim" what they feel is the prime spot to dust bathe or find goodies.
I hope your family is well and that you have a great summer!
Seinna, The Other Mary

 

[RedIII]

Congratulations to all those with new chickies!

Well done!! There will be Icelandics all over the Arizona desert........roaming Vikings on the desert sea!

Love this.

Our hatch numbers are nothing to brag about, but we did much better this time than we did with shipped eggs. (thank you Michelle!)

Not a great picture, but here are the seven Icelandic chicks from our last hatch. Hopefully some girls in there.

Got the bator all cleaned out and ready for another run with eggs collected from our birds.

Congrats on the hatch! Beautiful chicks.

Other Mary I think one of the bigger chicks in the nest box is attempting to hatch the golf ball, another broody- in -the- making.

head count last night

its hard to count all ten at once....they keep ducking underneath her.

Love. I am going to take a gamble and say that the chocolate one may be a boy. Looks much like my Gunther did as a baby

(now hopefully it will be the opposite for you!)

Okay, so I've had my Icelandics separated out for three weeks. I'm still hoping my friend will be willing to try a test hatch with their eggs soon here. So, I was mean and separated the roos from the girls today and kept them where they could see the hens. They're now in the run with the Icelandic girls. Tomorrow, I shall repeat. I want good eggs, dangit!

 

[drumstick diva]

How could I have missed seeing that beautiful chocolate chickie - everyone knows how I feel about chocolate. I would name it Hershey (notice the name HER SHE y must be a girl then) or Nutella if not.

 

[Mahonri]

How could I have missed seeing that beautiful chocolate chickie - everyone knows how I feel about chocolate. I would name it Hershey (notice the name HER SHE y must be a girl then) or Nutella if not.

Ha, Ha. I always thought that "Hershey" was a bi-sexual name. HE R SHE y. ?