Icelandic Chickens

[karimw]

Hi Red

And here they are... just moved to the newborn chick cage.... not quite dry yet. Notice the awesome assortment of color.... light, cinnamon and looks to be black.

Thank you so much for the honor in sharing in this breed!!

Very cute! Mine are super active!

 

[rairai979]

Congrats on all the new chicks!

 

[RedIII]

very well said, thank you - and it answered my question as to what the problem is with a fray feathered chicken .... So I have a question, as I am thinking to get Islandics next year. I am able to keep them separate for breeding, but I also would be hesitant to kill any just because of fray feathers but like to let them be in the mixed flock I have. What problem, if any, do you see with that?

Vala hasn't been on here for a while, unfortunately, and I can't answer for her. But I would say that so long as you don't collect any eggs that might be theirs for hatching, it's okay. I know some on here have chosen to cull their birds that had the fray gene, in order to keep it from spreading.

 

[Jake Levi]

I have been offline for four days, thanks to verizon getting knocked off in the same power outage that my incubator had. I lost 40 out of 41 eggs, hatched one Delaware, an Icelandic pipped but didnt hatch. Life goes on, I am setting eggs all this month.

Re the frayed gene. I believe it is one that acts in a cumulative fashion, getting it from both parents, and even grandparents. I wouldnot cull a hen that showed it, and would very carefully evaluate any chicken that showed it, because I think it is expressed in varying degrees when it shows up.

Keep in mind that this is a breed that was isolated for likely a 1,000 years, we arenot apt to see much of anything new crop up in it. Mutations arnt common in such a closely bred breed as this one. So what we see has almost surely happened before, and one of the great strengths of this very linebred and even inbred breed is the diversity that we celebrate in every chick.

When/if it shows up in my flock I will be watching it closely, I am thinking that it had a survival value in Iceland else it would have not survived.

Time will tell.

Life is good, and better with Icelandic Chickens !

 

[karimw]

Oh, Jake, I'm so sorry Did you lose the Iowa Blues? I'm collecting to send you more early next week.

 

[Jake Levi]

Hi Kari

I spoke too fast this morning on the hatching,

I went downstairs before I left and one Icelandic has hatched, and 3 Delaware eggs are pipped.

I am hoping to see more. The Iowa Blues arnt due until Tues and Wed, so I am hoping.

I set some more Icelandics and Delawares this afternoon. This one this morning is yellow, which I mostly expect as all of the hens are light wheatens. But the rooster with them now is Bjorn, a very dark black breasted duckwing. He will be with them probably until the end of the month then I will put Magnus in, a very large look alike son of Isi. For sure I want some of his sons.

Life goes on.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Four week old hatch of seven from Michelle's eggs.

That boy in front is going to be handsome! You got a beautiful assortment!

 

[TessK]

I'm the proud owner of 24 Icies (via Lisa Richards). They're 2 1/2 weeks old and already showing some amazing colors. I haven't read all almost-2,000 pages of this thread but I'll be following it now. Wish me luck, I'm a little nervous. New mom syndrome!

 

[Jake Levi]

Hi Tess !

Welcome to the thread ! And BYCs!

Good to see a Yooper here ! I'm just over an hour south of the bridge.

I'm going to be hatching through July as I have three roosters I want chicks from. Enjoy the reading, a LOT of great info here.

Mine are all of Mary O'Brians breeding from Sigrids line. My senior rooster, Isi, is by her Isi and a lookalike. His son Magnus is near identical but a bit bigger, I am looking forward to his chicks, and all of the others.

Keep the pics coming of your flock, and enjoy them !

Life is good, and better with Icelandic Chickens !

Jake

 

[mlm Mike]

Welcome TessK, the chicks look great, looks like lots of variety!