Icelandic Chickens

[The Sheriff]

The man who is getting this batch of Icelandic chicks is lucky indeed. It is the most evenly distributed assortment I have ever had. i think re-homing most of my white pullets helped. I know they don't always breed the same color as they are but I was sure getting a lot of white birds. I only have one white girl laying now and look at the assortment.

 

[The Sheriff]

Kate I know they are your birds now and you can do with them what you want but I just have to address the issue of crossing them with your Ameraucanas. Those of us active in the preservation of the Icelandics do not cross them with any other breed. A couple of accidents have occurred but those birds have been re-homed as "barnyard crosses." I originally got my birds from Sigrid who was the first to import them from Iceland. She and her husband are Iceland natives and passionate about keeping the breed pure. She always aborted any attempt to promote the Icelandics in the US because most people who showed an interest wanted to cross them with something. She was reluctant to let me have any of hers but I assured her I would make wise decisions about where they ended up. She has been on this thread from time to time and has cautioned us "not to mess with them." I agree that they have traits that would benefit other breeds but the goal of preservation is to keep them unique right down to their DNA which is still reported to be 78% the same as it was when the Vikings brought them to Iceland. If we begin crossing them with other breeds we risk ending up with what many people accuse us of having now, "barnyard mutts." I guess all I can do at this point is to ask you to think about it and reconsider using them for crossbreeding. I hope you understand the spirit in which this request is presented.

 

[Jake Levi]

Kate, what she said, in spades. If you pass on crosses someone is going to label them as 'icelandics', and its all downhill from there. I rehomed some really excellent other breeds, so as not to have any possibility of crossbreeding.

You have some really beautiful stock, please keep it to itself.

Please seriously reconsider any crossbreeding.

 

[Mahonri]

Amen!

It's why Boston has an entire section of his huge coop in Heber, AZ that is dedicated solely to Icelandics. He knew that's how it had to be and he has been true to the goal of saving the Icelandics as a landrace and keeping them 'pure'.

None of my one Icelandic pullet's eggs went into the bator for fear of a cross with my Ameraucanas.

 

[Totalcolour]

Thank you everyone - I intend keep them pure. I only have the Icelandic roos, and I got rid of all my white egg layers just for that very fact. I have Ameraucanas, Blue copper Marans and a couple of other brown egg layers - to sell the eggs, not for breeding purposes. I had only thought to cross with the Am's to keep blue eggs, but will not do that either now.

My plan was to isolate the Icees when I want to get hatching "pure" eggs, just to make sure no other white eggs existed anywhere in the flock. And since there are only the Icelandic Cockerels, then they would remain pure.

I'm not going to let the "breed" down

 

[Totalcolour]

The Cornish roos were culled on Sunday (we are eating one of them tonight, the rest are in the freezer) and we sold the GLRW, because he was an SQ bird. The Am roo was culled a few weeks back.

No other male chickens will invade my flock!

Added: I also sold my two lovely Polish birds because they lay white eggs and I didn't want any confusion!

 

[The Sheriff]

Sorry if I misunderstood. I am glad they will be pure. Now you need some hatching eggs to get some girls.

 

[Totalcolour]

Quote:
OOOPS, when I said I only had Icelandic roos, I didn't mean I didn't have any pullets. I have 3 pullets! I just meant the only Cockerels on the place or anywhere nearby, are Icelandics, because I sold or culled the rest!

 

[Totalcolour]

Quote:
Those are some lovely babies. Are they smaller babies than other breeds?

So you are getting rid of whites? Can I get white birds from non-white parents? All of mine are coloured.

 

[The Sheriff]

Quote:
Those are some lovely babies. Are they smaller babies than other breeds?

So you are getting rid of whites? Can I get white birds from non-white parents? All of mine are coloured.

Yes you can get any color from any bird in my experience. I just had an overwhelming number of whites and with them free ranging I thought they might draw more attention so I re-homed several white birds. This is my first hatch that would have been from eggs not laid by those birds. I just found it interesting that this hatch was more evenly divided.

As for size, Icelandics are on the smaller side and the chicks are small too. It makes escaping brooders, coops and pens easier!