Icelandic Chickens

[Hangtown Farms]

There's a small ranch here that raises/shows Icelandics horses. I drive past them nearly every day. On their website, they discuss saving the rare breed and it being a landrace species. My girls are up to laying two eggs per day. When their production is up, I plan to contact the people and see if they would like to expand into Icelandic chickens to go with their horses. I think they should have the chickens ranging around as well!

Deb

very neat.

 

[Twister-n-Dos]

So keep us posted on how your flock is doing this winter. My little one here in Michigan is going to have a lamp, as will the Chanteclers along with them next winter, we do get to -20F each winter, for several days at a time.

Our highs can be -40F or colder for a week or more at a time. We have already had -20F for a low.

The coop I built is 2x6 construction with insulation and vapor barrier. Ventilation is passive with a couple of Fresh 80's.

One high and one low. I have the guts pulled out of the high Fresh 80 (outlet), so air flow is not restricted.


The bottom air inlet is through the chicken door.




So with the cold weather access to the run is closed off. I would like to come up with a better solution
than this. It was a balmy +25F today, so I removed this insulation and plywood, but the birds didn't
want to go out.

Heat inputs at this point are minimal. I have a 40 watt light set on a timer to come on at 6am, turn off
around noon. That is for a little extra light, not heat, but it does add some amount of heat. I have also
rigged up a water heater that is contributing some warmth. I posted about it in this thread (post #102)
if you are interested. This will be the first winter, so I expect to have to make adjustments to fine tune
the system. The birds all seem happy and healthy so far.

 

[Jake Levi]

It looks like you are off to a good start with them, the 40watt will need upgrading in Jan for sure. My birds had several days of -25, and survived with a heat lamp over their waterer, but the area wasnt sealed off, the single comb got frostbit, and the tips of the rose combs but overal they did well. This winter in a smaller area, and it will have a 100watt light. Our birds survived Icelands winters without added heat so I think our birds here in NA will do as well or better. I am hoping we hear from other northern flock keepers.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

Our highs can be -40F or colder for a week or more at a time. We have already had -20F for a low.

The coop I built is 2x6 construction with insulation and vapor barrier. Ventilation is passive with a couple of Fresh 80's.

One high and one low. I have the guts pulled out of the high Fresh 80 (outlet), so air flow is not restricted.


The bottom air inlet is through the chicken door.




So with the cold weather access to the run is closed off. I would like to come up with a better solution
than this. It was a balmy +25F today, so I removed this insulation and plywood, but the birds didn't
want to go out.

Heat inputs at this point are minimal. I have a 40 watt light set on a timer to come on at 6am, turn off
around noon. That is for a little extra light, not heat, but it does add some amount of heat. I have also
rigged up a water heater that is contributing some warmth. I posted about it in this thread (post #102)
if you are interested. This will be the first winter, so I expect to have to make adjustments to fine tune
the system. The birds all seem happy and healthy so far.

wow that is cold. I am going to go out and tell my chickens how good they got it with our coldest lows only being in the upper teens and that is maybe only once or twice a year

 

[karimw]

Well my Drekki Jr. ended up being too loud.

He's headed to Heber to join Boston's flock tomorrow.

Can't believe it but I wan't some more Drekki Jr chicks so my wife's gonna have a cow but I'm pulling out the incubator tomorrow....

Hooray for hatching! How could you not?

wow that is cold. I am going to go out and tell my chickens how good they got it with our coldest lows only being in the upper teens and that is maybe only once or twice a year

X2! Chickens really seam to do better on the cold than people think, Its been freezing the water pans this past week with highs in the 40's. I have an Ameraucana broody in a rabbit hutch outside with 4 chicks. They are about a month old and have feathered out in record time. I thought I should put them inside somewhere, but they really seem OK. I don't think stuffing them in a dark cage in the coop would be better for them at this point.

 

[Jake Levi]

Yes, most breeds can handle cold weather well, but, I think all will do better with some heat below 0 F. The bigger the chickens mass the better. Their winter coop is of major importance, friends in Talkeetna AK wintered their 'Rangers' last winter with many -25 and -40 F nights, but, it is an insulated ply coop, built to the size of their flock, and the outside door closed in the minus weather with a 100W light through it. And kept laying.

The Junglefowl kept in captivity arenot winter hardy, so I am of the mind that our modern descendents of the Junglefowl can use some extra help. I am impressed by the breeds, like the Icelandic that could range over the Icelandic homesteads through the winter and scavenge most of their feed through the Iceland winters. We shall see how my Icelandics do in their 2nd Michigan winter. I am expecting very well.

 

[Twister-n-Dos]

I am hoping we hear from other northern flock keepers.

Yeah, I find it helpful to learn from the experience of others in extreme climates.

I am going to go out and tell my chickens how good they got it

That made me laugh. I don't think I will tell our chickens about this.

X2! Chickens really seam to do better on the cold than people think,

I know of someone here in the Fairbanks area that gives very little to his overwintered chickens. They have an insulated coop, but
no heat input, and no liquid water. They get snow and feed. And they do fine. No eggs, but he doesn't want eggs in the winter.
Chickens are tough. I must be soft though, because I feel the need to give them more. Not pampered, but basic levels of comfort.

Yes, most breeds can handle cold weather well, but, I think all will do better with some heat below 0 F. The bigger the chickens mass the better. Their winter coop is of major importance, friends in Talkeetna AK wintered their 'Rangers' last winter with many -25 and -40 F nights, but, it is an insulated ply coop, built to the size of their flock, and the outside door closed in the minus weather with a 100W light through it. And kept laying.

The Junglefowl kept in captivity arenot winter hardy, so I am of the mind that our modern descendents of the Junglefowl can use some extra help. I am impressed by the breeds, like the Icelandic that could range over the Icelandic homesteads through the winter and scavenge most of their feed through the Iceland winters. We shall see how my Icelandics do in their 2nd Michigan winter. I am expecting very well.

Thanks for all of your thoughts and engagement on extreme climate flock management. We are learning as we go.
It is helpful to learn what others are doing and what works for them.

 

[Jake Levi]

We are all in this together, our breed is a new one to North America, although it proved itself surviving a 1,000 years in Iceland as a homestead chicken. So I expect good things for it here, sharing information and management techniques helps us all.

Life is good, and better with Icelandic Chickens !

 

[janelle18]

HI everyone, we got some icelandics in the spring time. I have some questions about them and am hoping the 'experts' on this thread can help .
1. are all icelandic's the same size? I have been looking at some pictures and the chickens look quite a bit larger than the ones that I have.. can you have banty icelandics?
2. Are icelandics every one solid colour? I have some pure white chickens that are the same size as the icelandics and looks similiar but have no colouration. Do you think they just got mixed in?
3. I included a picture of my roo.. i have another chicken that has the exact same colouring as the roo, but has a small pale comb, and has note crowed... could that other chicken be a hen, or is it likely a roo that is not as healthy?
4.FINALLY, my hen's combs are pretty red! What is the usually laying age of icelandics?!

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP!

Here are some pictures...


hen


roo




hens, next to my LS pen.

 

[mrheinz77]

I have some that are pure white so yes, that is possible.