Icelandic Chickens

[kathyinmo]

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[The Sheriff]

SHE! Cream Legbars are autosexing!

 

[NotAFarm]

I upload to vimeo.com Kathy. I have found it works better. Love the Orps.

I decided to keep the white chick. I put it in the brooder with the week old Cream Legbar chick. They are almost the same size.



Look at how thrilled my Legbar is!



Gotta' go dust the chick down from my desk! These guys and their brooder are headed outside in the next few days, weather permitting.

Mary, I'm glad you kept the white one! I will be watching for updates on it. Looks like your Legbar has developed a huge case of stink eye!

Better watch that one!!

 

[kathyinmo]

x

 

[thebirdguy]

\Quote:

I think I may hold onto the white chick and see what happens. I am convincing myself to do that by saying it might have the feathering problem and I wouldn't want the new owner to get it. But really, I am so curious to find out what it does colorwise. Should I keep it?

Kathy your chick pics are adorable. There is evidence that Lukka had her babies out of the broody box today! I missed it while waiting at CVS for prescription refills.

I'd definitely keep the white one!!

Here's a couple of OT pictures for you...

Baby goats with mom



and my large black hogs

 

[Icelander]

Regardless of philosophy I think the Sheriff has a valid concern about cross breeding these birds. In reality you aren't likely to injure the breed directly or lose genetic identity by letting your Icelandic roosters cover a mixed breed flock. You keep the strain pure by always keeping your breeding flock under lock and key, but who cares if your extra roos play the field? Here's why. Take the Friesian horse for example, in Europe, pure registered mares can not be crossed on another breed (I think on penalty of death) and pure stallions can not be bred to non Friesian mares. In the US this has been relaxed somewhat with a different registry and Friesian stallions that will out cross are common. Why? because there is huge market for it. It also isn't as dangerous as it used to be because of DNA testing. If you pay for a pure Star or Preferent horse, you'll likely be getting untainted genes. BUT I crossed a black Percheron mare to a Friesian stallion and the resulting filly looks to the untrained eye just like a Friesian should. People always assume she is full Friesian and I am quick to correct them.

So there's the rub isn't it? With such a varied phenotype existing in the Icelandic chickens, how do you know by looking at them which ones are pure? I am a novice here and I couldn't tell by looking at Totalcolor's birds. I am not trying to target anyone, I find it likely, with my mixed flock and sneaky hens, that a broody will someday come back from the dead to present me with mixed batch of chicks with suspicious mottling. I know at that time I'll need to take steps to prevent confusion with the pure breeds. And that most definitely involves not letting anyone else have them.

I think it's awesome there are so many knowledgeable people backing the Icelandic cause, I wish there were more in the corner for Iowa Blues!

I understand where you're coming from, but as you point out, animal breeding is market driven and unfortunately I don't think we can battle the market forces successfully on this. I think that all we can really do--realistically--is to make sure there is a strong market for 100% pure Icelandics, such as is represented on this thread. The market tends to get what the market wants, good or bad, and our focus should be on being part of the good i.e. 100% purebred preservation.

I understand several Friesian crosses have been created, such as the Friesian Sporthorse. However, there remains strong demand for the 100% purebred, since, after all, even a cross cannot be created without an origial. There is, as such, a strong likelihood that a market in Icelandic crosses might actually support and enhance the market in 100% pure birds. I would agree that crossing should be discouraged and we should all do our part in educating our buyers why keeping these birds pure is essential to their survival and take appropriate measures to prevent crossing our purebred strains. However, the aim of preventing all crosses is unrealistic at best and might actually not help the birds in the long run. Also, ostrasizing those that do cross is unlikely to be helpful as breeders might be more reluctant to admit to crossing, which can create its own problems...

Vala

 

[Farmerboy16]

We got some hogs from Olive Hill yesterday!
Guess what these hogs are, Mary!





They declared war on the nice grass right away, and ate them all before the sun went down. This morning, the pen was one muddy, turned up ground.

 

[The Sheriff]

They look like American guinea hogs!

 

[Farmerboy16]

Yep, they are!

We got 2 sows, a gilt, a boar, and 2 non-breeder quality gilts. The gilt gave birth to 6 piglets the day before we brought them, and the two sows are expecting soon! The 2 non-breeder quality gilts will be pork in the fall.

 

[drumstick diva]

Kathy, loved the video especially another look at the emu kids. Looks like they get along with the chickens - for now at least. I especially appreciate the beautiful, soothing music that accompanies your videos. Just sayin'.