Isbar thread

[bastropcc]

Just put 11 Isbar eggs in the incubator. I was to buy a dozen but the hen wouldn't lay that last egg so the lady gave me a dozen Lavender Americana to compensate. Can't wait for them all to hatch.

 

[atmaclean]

Just put 11 Isbar eggs in the incubator. I was to buy a dozen but the hen wouldn't lay that last egg so the lady gave me a dozen Lavender Americana to compensate. Can't wait for them all to hatch.

Good luck! I hatched 4 out of 5 in January and they are doing great. They are such pretty birds. I got 2 splash, a blue and a black.

Angela

 

[Flowerbh]

Good luck! I hatched 4 out of 5 in January and they are doing great. They are such pretty birds. I got 2 splash, a blue and a black.

Angela

Wow, lucky you to get all the varieties! I hatched one out of two (dropped the second one when I was taking the turner out for lockdown! Broke my heart!!), Anyway, got a splash pullet which is what I really wanted! So, all is good! Here she is at 13 weeks.

The one on the right, of course. With her strange best friend, Mad Maxine....a frizzle mix.

 

[atmaclean]

Wow, lucky you to get all the varieties! I hatched one out of two (dropped the second one when I was taking the turner out for lockdown! Broke my heart!!), Anyway, got a splash pullet which is what I really wanted! So, all is good! Here she is at 13 weeks.

The one on the right, of course. With her strange best friend, Mad Maxine....a frizzle mix.

NEMO! I have been watching her grow up I got a splash hen too and the rest were cockerels - a splash, a blue and a black. I think I will sell the black cockerel although he is really starting to get some pretty color around his neck.....but I really don't need 3 roosters!
Angela

 

[soldier]

I thought I might be interested in this breed of chicken. How big do they get. Are they full sized chickens? How big are their eggs. I have seen so many light colored eggs when I see photos. Are their eggs a light green in color?
Thanks,

 

[longgrove]

When I got my Isbars (2 light blue hens and 2 roos, 1 splash, 1 blue), the splash, who is 9 months old became dominant over the 1 1/2 year old roo. I have 11 hens in all. The blue Isbar was in a breeding pen with the 2 Isbar hens and is very jealous of them, herds them around and tries to keep the splash away from them. (Flash the splash does try to get them at times, when he does, the Jack, the blue roo goes and mates one of the EEs, who are favorites of the splash. It took awhile of supervised contact, but the boys learned to tolerate each other. At first, the blue would trry to attack the splash, but each time, the splash defended himself, and the blue got the worst of it. In time, they realized they were too well matched and achieved a sort of detant and sort of divided up the hens. Interestingly, the blue has claimed my cross bred Wyandotte/Cochin hen ...who is a beautifully marked blue. He roosts with the 2 Isbar hens and the blue cross hen. The splash claims the other hens and roosts with them (2 roosts), except the 2 Silkies (who are currently co brooding in one nest box). I find the social arrangements of the chickens so interesting. By the way, the blue cross bred hen is bigger than even the roos and goes where she wants (like the proverbial gorilla); no one ever picks on her, yet, I hsve never seen her be mean to or peck any cnicken, even the bantams. She is super gentle and gracious, almost isn't in the pecking order, like she is above it. Yet she is very popular, all the others will sun bath, nap and dust bath with her, none run away when she approches. Anyway, she is free to choose which roo she favors and it is the blue, even tho the splash is a bit more dominant. interesting.

Since I have 2 EEs, it is difficult to determine which eggs are the Isbars. One is obvious, it si a deeper green than the EE eggs (and a little smaller). The other I'm not so sure. I was getting an aqua and slightly bluer egg from the EEs, both a fairly pale tint, tho. I am now getting an egg that is sort of a light olive drab. Since egg colors tend to be consistant, I'm guessing that that is the other Isbar. Is that an expected color for an Isbar egg? Should I determine which of the hens is laying the light olive egg and avoid hatching chicks from her? The one that lays the green egg layed one the other day that was smaller than those my bantam lays (usually they are just a hair smaller than a large, tho larger than a medium). What could have caused that? They are both very nice hens and a preety silvery color. The other hens do pick on them a bit but Jack protects them if it gets too much and it really is not an attack, just dominance behavior,

 

[lonnyandrinda]

I thought I might be interested in this breed of chicken. How big do they get. Are they full sized chickens? How big are their eggs. I have seen so many light colored eggs when I see photos. Are their eggs a light green in color?
Thanks,

My adult Isbars are smaller than I expected, about the size of my Cream Legbars which are a Light breed. The eggs they hatched from were extra large, and pretty mint green to medium green with lots of speckles and variations. They have only been laying for about 2 months now and their eggs are probably a medium in size, but I expect them to get larger with time. In color they are more blue green than the eggs they hatched from. There is no standard for Isbars so there is no acceptable vs. non-acceptable color or eggs, although most everyone agrees their eggs should be green. Here the extra large eggs I hatched mine from. They came all the way from California to Oklahoma.


Here are some that my two pullets have laid. These are pullet eggs, definitely "small" grade. They are slightly more blue than the ones they hatched from but still definitely green.


And some recent photos from this week of my beautiful trio. Boy is named Rain, the girls are Stormy and Drizzle. Drizzle the blue pullet is SO curious, I have to block the door with my leg every time I go checking for eggs or she will be out the door in a flash. Only having about 50% fertility so far, he needs to hurry up and figure out what he's doing so I can hatch some more chicks!

 

[Nomibear]

Rain is gorgeous Rinda! Love him!

 

[longgrove]

They are beautiful birds. The light blue hen looks a lot like my 2 hens. Thanks for showing the eggs; some of them are that sort of tan green that one of my hens seems to be laying.

My adult Isbars are smaller than I expected, about the size of my Cream Legbars which are a Light breed. The eggs they hatched from were extra large, and pretty mint green to medium green with lots of speckles and variations. They have only been laying for about 2 months now and their eggs are probably a medium in size, but I expect them to get larger with time. In color they are more blue green than the eggs they hatched from. There is no standard for Isbars so there is no acceptable vs. non-acceptable color or eggs, although most everyone agrees their eggs should be green. Here the extra large eggs I hatched mine from. They came all the way from California to Oklahoma.


Here are some that my two pullets have laid. These are pullet eggs, definitely "small" grade. They are slightly more blue than the ones they hatched from but still definitely green.


And some recent photos from this week of my beautiful trio. Boy is named Rain, the girls are Stormy and Drizzle. Drizzle the blue pullet is SO curious, I have to block the door with my leg every time I go checking for eggs or she will be out the door in a flash. Only having about 50% fertility so far, he needs to hurry up and figure out what he's doing so I can hatch some more chicks!

 

[Flowerbh]

What is the average age of an Isbar pullet when she is old enough to start laying eggs? Nemo is now 15 weeks old. I know I have a while, but just wondering what to expect.