Norwegian Jaerhon

[aurissavannahs]

They do crop up together, at least if the light ones I get are what we are considering "Light Jaerhons." I've only had a very few come along over the years and wasn't paying too much attention to their hatchling coloring...and so I can't speak as an expert on the differences in this coloring from hatching time on.

The concern with the light color (sans tan, just white and grey) is that one of the "plusses" with Jaerhons is the color sexing at hatch and it *may* not be as easy to sex the chicks in the light version as it is with the dark ones. Do others have a more clear experience in this regard? Do your Light pullet chicks have more than the token white "dot" on their heads?

Can anyone tell me whether chicks originating from Sandhill are easily sexable by color? I had someone write to me/send photos/ask me to sex her chicks from Sandhill recently and I couldn't do it with confidence

Dark and light hens look alike except Dark hens have grey and dark grey stripes in the down on the underside of their body and their bottom, while the Light hens are light brown in this area. Adult roos will have mainly white feathering, though patterned, but the Dark roos will have some darker coloring on their backs. In Light Jærhøns chicks the males are yellow, females are yellow with a visible brown stripe from their head and down along the back (chipmunk chicks). In the Dark Jærhøns chicks the males are light brown with a large uneven yellow spot in the head/neck area. Females are dark brown with a small spot on the head.

I think the hens you are calling light are what the Norwegians are call greys. The greys are not in their SOP, but some breeders in Norway are working on them. I think the E locus for Dark is eb, Light is e+ and both are gold ss. The Greys seem to be eb and may be genetically silver SS. I think some Darks are Ss(golden) as the hens neck color is slighter lighter in some Darks and this would be where the silver S comes from. The genetics are just theories on my part based on by observations and they may not be right. I am looking forward to learning more.

 

[aurissavannahs]

My NJ were wild at the beginning, too. However, I prefer to call them quick and alert. Their survival instincts are good. Their quickness is what Terry Ryan wants when she teaches because if the chickens don't present a challenge the trainers skills don't improve. I worked about a month at the farm introducing treats, getting them used to eating out of cups and eating out of cups that are being held by humans.. I also have Easter Eggers in the same coop and run because it is easy to tell the eggs apart and I learned by experience that they do tame down better when they are separated from other breeds. Most of them don't do well competing with other breeds for treats.

After working with them on the farm we spent three days handling them individually at the training center before the chicken camp started. By the time the camp started they were tame and they did a great job teaching the trainers. Some of the trainers had never touched a chicken and a couple of the trainers were afraid of chickens. At the end of the two day camp everyone had fallen in love with the cute little NJs and commented on what sweet birds they were and how beautiful they were. The camp was quite a success and Cold Nose College, in Murphy, NC, is planning another Terry Ryan Chicken Camp in March. This time for 5 days for return trainers with a 6th day before the regular camp for people that didn't get to attend a previous camp. I am looking forward to supplying the camp with Norwegian Jaerhons once again and working with some really great dog trainers.

 

[Dr Bjorn Netland]

The Jaerhon is a very old provincial breed, like many other North European land races. There is no other breed mixed in, and it has been bred pure in a breeding program ever since the Norwegian government rescued a few birds of the old land race around 1910. While little attention was being paid to conformation traits in the beginning, the main focus was on production...and the breeding program established by the government at their research farm emphasized productivity, and the exhibition breeders subsequently started breeding for conformation as well, but without outcrossing. It was used in commercial egg production until some time in the 1970s, when it lost out to the modern-day Leghorn hybrids. The government gene bank keeps a relatively large flock at a research facility in addition to birds kept by hobbyists in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands (and the US). The bantam version was developed by using other bantam breeds crossed in with the large fowl Jaers. They were known to lay white or off-color white (creme colored) eggs all along, and the eggshell color does not denote influence from other breeds.

 

[Love4Chooks]

Hi all, I have 3 Jaer hens 1 Dark 2 Light and a light roo. They have just started to lay again after their winter moult. If anyone would like to trade eggs I would love to introduce some fresh genetic to my little flock. I put 4 in my incubator a week ago and they are all fertile! I am thrilled I will post pics when they hatch. please PM me if anyone would like to trade.

 

[Love4Chooks]

I just received my Jaerhon chicks from Ideal Poultry and I am so excited to get started with this breed! I was thrilled to find some chicks this early in the year! After a year of raising a broad range of breeds, I decided to focus on establishing two lines: the Norwegian Jaerhon and the Partridge Silkie. I love working with the smaller breeds of chicken and was very happy to learn that there existed a small breed that was also cold weather hardy and a good layer. The silkies have a wonderful disposition and are a very broody bird, so I figured I could slip some Jaerhon eggs under a silkie hen if I ever didn't feel like putting some in my incubator.

Here are a few photos of my new babies


the girls:





the cockerels in with the partridge silkies:



one of the boys:

They are so beautiful! Congratulation. Jaers. are my favourite breed by far. I also have a 3 hens that crossed with an easter egger and I love them too, they lay very pale blue eggs and have the sweetest personalities. Thanks for posting pics.

 

[EledaWV]

Our roo, getting big!

 

[aurissavannahs]

The difference between the two colors of the Jaerhon is at the E locus which controls the base color of the chicken. It is the same difference as the difference as is found between the brown and light brown Leghorn. Most people can not accurately tell the adults apart. The surest way to tell the Light Jaerhon from the Dark Jaerhon is the color of the chick down. The Dark Jaerhon is genetically eb, dark brown. The Dark chicks are brown. The Light Jaerhon is genetically e, wild type. The light chicks have chipmunk stripes on their backs. If you want to separate the two types, which I think is great, then do so right after hatch when you separate the pullets from the roos. If you don't separate them then mark them in some permanent way such as toe punches.

 

[aurissavannahs]

These are not my pictures. They are used for educational purposes only.
The dark chicks are on the left side. The light are on the right. Males are on top for both colors and the females on the bottom. Adult darks have grey down and I have been told the lights have cream down.

 

[aurissavannahs]

I have been communicating with Norwegian breeders and they have provided me with the official Norwegian Standard for the Norwegian Jaerhon. Bjorn Netland, the original importer of the Jaerhon is working to translate it. I am so excited! We should soon have a guide to properly select our breeding stock.

 

[bekkanblue]

5 more little NJ peeps! 3 boys, 2 girls this time. And 3 eggs that aren't hatching for some reason though they made it to lockdown. I'm sure it was something I did since they seemed to develop well throughout. Will do eggtopsies and see what I can see. 10 more eggs in another bator, but not all are developing I don't think. I used a mix of ages of eggs to see where viability really takes a dive, so kind of an experiment. But even with those I'll learn something I hope! Meanwhile there are 4 x 2 week olds, 1 x 1 week old, and 5 1 day olds all coexisting in the brooder nicely. I'm amazed at how well the older ones treat the younger ones. The olders are about to move to a bigger brooder though, growing fast!






Wonder if I can get a picture of all 3 ages in a row.... Probably like herding cats but might give it a go.