Icelandic Chickens

[ConPollos]

I struggled when I first got my Icelandics with what to do with multiple breeds. I had some Silver Laced Wyandottes (from a breeder) and some Auburn Javas. It was too difficult for me to juggle the different flocks. I like to free range my flocks and once every three days seemed to work okay for the SLW but the Javas and Icelandics wanted more time out. I found a home for the SLW rooster with a neighbor's laying flock and kept the two hens. The Javas went to two different friends, one got a trio and the other the two extra hens for her laying flock. Then I got some German line New Hampshires from Kathy. The roosters got along fine but couldn't be sure of egg purity without separating them. I kept two hens and a neighbor with kids in 4-H got the rooster and rest of the hens. Three of my Icelandic broodies are currently raising two chicks each from New Hampshire eggs I got from him at the end of May. I love those big orange chickens! My two hens are now three and I'd like to keep any pullets from the six chicks, the cockerels will have to go. I only keep males that are Icelandic and only keep non-Icelandic hens that lay a colored egg that cannot be mistaken for an Icelandic egg. I don't show and don't have children or grandchildren that need a "standred bred recognized" breed so Icelandics are my choice. They are the single breed that meets all my needs. They are not the choice for everyone. @RedIII Like Mike said, you can help the breed in other ways than breeding them. Buy extra hens from someone for broodies or winter time layers, encourage someone who may want a hardy, homestead flock to try them, be honest about their need to "escape" and the necessity of keeping them pure. Not everyone wants to preserve the breed, they just want pretty hens or cocks that will protect their flocks. I have a couple of neighbors/friends that have gotten cockerels from me that wanted them when their previous male got picked-off by a predator. The Icelandics are doing a great of alerting their flocks and they love them. @kathleens1979 As I said above, some of my extra cockerels go to people I know who ask for them, some are kept as possible future keepers (and to have available if an interested person wants a starter trio/quad) and the rest are sold at a weekly auction/sale near here. I don't take them myself, a couple of retired men I know to the sale each week and take them when I call. I never say they are Icelandics. They are simply labeled ___ week/month old cockerels. Most will be someone's dinner and some will go to someone looking for feathers for crafting. I wish it was possible to keep them all.......it is not. I will be making some tough choices come fall. One of the "big orange hens" with Asta and her two Icelandic chicks. The blonde is just right Big Mama, the New Hampshire, and the chipmunk chick is just right of Asta. Hola and her three Icelandic chicks out enjoying a rare dry day of free-ranging:

Why don't you label your auction cockerels as Icelandics, which might increase their chances of finding loving homes?

 

[nordicacres]

I struggled when I first got my Icelandics with what to do with multiple breeds. I had some Silver Laced Wyandottes (from a breeder) and some Auburn Javas. It was too difficult for me to juggle the different flocks. I like to free range my flocks and once every three days seemed to work okay for the SLW but the Javas and Icelandics wanted more time out. I found a home for the SLW rooster with a neighbor's laying flock and kept the two hens. The Javas went to two different friends, one got a trio and the other the two extra hens for her laying flock. Then I got some German line New Hampshires from Kathy. The roosters got along fine but couldn't be sure of egg purity without separating them. I kept two hens and a neighbor with kids in 4-H got the rooster and rest of the hens. Three of my Icelandic broodies are currently raising two chicks each from New Hampshire eggs I got from him at the end of May. I love those big orange chickens! My two hens are now three and I'd like to keep any pullets from the six chicks, the cockerels will have to go. I only keep males that are Icelandic and only keep non-Icelandic hens that lay a colored egg that cannot be mistaken for an Icelandic egg. I don't show and don't have children or grandchildren that need a "standred bred recognized" breed so Icelandics are my choice. They are the single breed that meets all my needs. They are not the choice for everyone. @RedIII Like Mike said, you can help the breed in other ways than breeding them. Buy extra hens from someone for broodies or winter time layers, encourage someone who may want a hardy, homestead flock to try them, be honest about their need to "escape" and the necessity of keeping them pure. Not everyone wants to preserve the breed, they just want pretty hens or cocks that will protect their flocks. I have a couple of neighbors/friends that have gotten cockerels from me that wanted them when their previous male got picked-off by a predator. The Icelandics are doing a great of alerting their flocks and they love them. @kathleens1979 As I said above, some of my extra cockerels go to people I know who ask for them, some are kept as possible future keepers (and to have available if an interested person wants a starter trio/quad) and the rest are sold at a weekly auction/sale near here. I don't take them myself, a couple of retired men I know to the sale each week and take them when I call. I never say they are Icelandics. They are simply labeled ___ week/month old cockerels. Most will be someone's dinner and some will go to someone looking for feathers for crafting. I wish it was possible to keep them all.......it is not. I will be making some tough choices come fall. One of the "big orange hens" with Asta and her two Icelandic chicks. The blonde is just right Big Mama, the New Hampshire, and the chipmunk chick is just right of Asta. Hola and her three Icelandic chicks out enjoying a rare dry day of free-ranging:

This is exactly what we plan to do! We have 11 Icelandic chicks right now. We will be processing all of our cockerels in the Fall (which makes me a bit sad because I've grown attached to a few!) and will only keep Icelandic roosters. We will keep hens of other breeds, but they should all lay brown or blue/green eggs so not much chance for confusion. We don't breed or show. We just wanted free ranging, good foraging birds with nice color variation. Now we just need to find some more of them! Out of eleven chicks I expect maybe five to be pullets? Not much luck in the pullet department. We are very rooster heavy right now!

 

[NotAFarm]

Quote: I don't label them Icelandic because the general public doesn't understand that an Icelandic is only an Icelandic if the bloodlines are pure. They might think that if they take home an Icelandic cockerel and add it to their flock, they will be breeding Icelandics. This is NOT true so I only sell cockerels with pullets as starter flocks or gift them to friends that know that any offspring would not be able to be called Icelandic. We do not need people, as well meaning as they might be, selling crossbred birds as pure......not to mention the unscrupulous types that will try to take advantage of the popularity of the breed to make some quick cash by selling crossbreds as pure.

I hope this doesn't sound harsh but I am not looking for loving homes, I am looking for homes in which the owners understand the treasure they have and are willing to do what it takes to keep them pure. I know the love for them will be there if they are given a chance. That said, I know people who love Icelandics but their situation or set-up doesn't allow them to properly separate them or give them the space which they need to thrive. They have given them up because they love them....I will one day have to do the same.

 

[ConPollos]

I don't label them Icelandic because the general public doesn't understand that an Icelandic is only an Icelandic if the bloodlines are pure.  They might think that if they take home an Icelandic cockerel and add it to their flock, they will be breeding Icelandics.  This is NOT true so I only sell cockerels with pullets as starter flocks or gift them to friends that know that any offspring would not be able to be called Icelandic. We do not need people, as well meaning as they might be, selling crossbred birds as pure......not to mention the unscrupulous types that will try to take advantage of the popularity of the breed to make some quick cash by selling crossbreds as pure.

I hope this doesn't sound harsh but I am not looking for loving homes, I am looking for homes in which the owners understand the treasure they have and are willing to do what it takes to keep them pure.  I know the love for them will be there if they are given a chance.  That said, I know people who love Icelandics but their situation or set-up doesn't allow them to properly separate them or give them the space which they need to thrive.  They have given them up because they love them....I will one day have to do the same.

That's like saying the general public thinks they can buy a male Norwegian Elkhound and breed it to their female Corgi and Australian Shepherd and get Norwegian Elkhound puppies. Nobody is that ignorant.

Everybody knows that crossing a purebred rooster on hens that are not of the same breed as the rooster creates mutts. Most chicken owners don't allow their eggs to hatch, they just want eggs to eat or sell, plus want an interesting flock rooster to protect their hens. Anybody who bought an Icelandic rooster at auction and wanted to breed Icelandics would start Googling for for Icelandic pullets to buy.

Breeders will keep the breed pure, but now that Icelandics are recovering they're going to find their way to pet homes and live normal chicken lives. Killing them all to keep them only in the hands of Icelandic breeders doesn't seem fair or kind to the culls, nor realistic. There are always purebreds and hybrids of every animal breed. People who want pure Icelandics will research which breeder to buy from. Soon there will be hatchery Icelandics, production Icelandics, show Icelandics, hybrids, and so on.


My neighbor breeds Icelandics and he can't get that much money for them because the market is not going to pay that much for Icelandics. I don't think unscrupulous people are going to bother selling Icelandic mutts because it's not profitable for all the trouble you have to go through to breed.

We can't control what happens to any breed of chicken in the world, but we can try to make sure each cull has a chance at a loving home, even if it's a pet home where accidental breedings may or may not occur.

Homesteaders who let their Icelandics free range are going to see some hybrids result from their roosters mating their neighbor's hens. That's life.

 

[ConPollos]

PS My neighbor offered to sell me some Icelandics, and I eagerly agreed because I like them and I have Viking ancestors going back to the 7th century. I love history and they're living history.

But then I realized that I most enjoy docile affectionate chikens that are not flighty, and who lay large to extra large colored eggs. Since that's my priority right now, I told my neighbor I'd changed my mind about buying Icelandics and would reconsider after one year. Now that I have an EE rooster I won't be buying Icelandics, unless I someday decide to set up a separate area and breed them. And it wouldn't be for profit, I'd have to have a passionate desire to further the breed. I'm glad there are breeders doing this.

But even if I did buy Icelandics and mixed them with my flock, there wouldn't be any hybrids born because I don't allow my eggs to hatch. So if I wanted some Icelandics to just enjoy, like a cull rooster and some cull hens, I wouldn't be breeding them.

I'm just saying that people have all different goals and reasons for owning chickens, not everyone who gets their hands on Icelandics wants to breed or sell them, not everybody wants to eat them or even eat their eggs, not every chicken owner wants to sell eggs or sell chicks, etc. I've met plenty of people who would love to add a couple of Icelandics to their flock just for interest, like you'd add a Polish. It's for enjoyment. But they're not interested in producing chicks.

A lot of nice people go to auctions who would be tickled pink to give a loving pet home to a cull Icelandic cockerel, so why not give the boys a chance.

For most breeds of animal, unless they're popular for use in big agriculture, the pet market is the biggest market. The backyard pet chicken market is booming so much that they can't keep chicks in stock, especially the unique exotic breeds.

 

[nordicacres]

My chicks (about one week old) had their first field trip outside today. They were frenzied little foragers and seemed to enjoy it. This pic cracks me up because it spotted a gnat

 

[ConPollos]

My chicks (about one week old) had their first field trip outside today. They were frenzied little foragers and seemed to enjoy it. This pic cracks me up because it spotted a gnat

They're so cute! Good luck catching them. Lol

 

[RedIII]

I don't label them Icelandic because the general public doesn't understand that an Icelandic is only an Icelandic if the bloodlines are pure.  They might think that if they take home an Icelandic cockerel and add it to their flock, they will be breeding Icelandics.  This is NOT true so I only sell cockerels with pullets as starter flocks or gift them to friends that know that any offspring would not be able to be called Icelandic. We do not need people, as well meaning as they might be, selling crossbred birds as pure......not to mention the unscrupulous types that will try to take advantage of the popularity of the breed to make some quick cash by selling crossbreds as pure.

I hope this doesn't sound harsh but I am not looking for loving homes, I am looking for homes in which the owners understand the treasure they have and are willing to do what it takes to keep them pure.  I know the love for them will be there if they are given a chance.  That said, I know people who love Icelandics but their situation or set-up doesn't allow them to properly separate them or give them the space which they need to thrive.  They have given them up because they love them....I will one day have to do the same.

This is why if I'm selling/giving away extra roosters to someone I don't know I can trust, they are just sold as mixes. If they want them as a flock protector, great! If they want them for meat, great! If they want them for breeding, I don't have to worry that way.

 

[ConPollos]

It couldn't hurt at all to label them as Icelandics because all it's going to do is greatly increase their chances of getting a loving pet home, instead of getting killed possibly via an inhumane method.

Also, if someone wants a flock rooster it's good to know the breed so you can research what kinds of behaviors to expect. Icelandics are really good fliers who love to free range, are great foragers, good at surviving, very cold hardy, and that's good to know. I'm sure people whip put their smart phones and Google the breeds they see there.

I've met some great people who go to the auction to see what kinda of interesting and exotic breeds they might enjoy adding to their backyard flock. They like to have friends over and say, "See that chicken, it's a Viking chicken." Fun conversation piece.

 

[Turkeyrangler]

My chicks (about one week old) had their first field trip outside today. They were frenzied little foragers and seemed to enjoy it. This pic cracks me up because it spotted a gnat

Wow, didn't let mine out that early. Should have gave that a shot though. They look like they are loving it. I've found they just love being outside. Mine stay out later than my other birds, Right up till dusk with my pea cock and pea hen. The rest of my birds are on the roost at 6pm.