Icelandic Chickens

[Happy Chooks]

ChicwannaB, I'm sorry you lost some chickens. My brother has a husky and while he is a very good dog, we did have a problem at first with him going after the chickens. We've been working with him for a year and keep him on a cable when he's outside, as a precaution. It helps that he's well-behaved, too. We haven't had any problems since last year. I hope things improve for you, too

Twister, those are lovely chicks! You're definitely going to have some lookers in there.

I got some more Icee eggs from coldupnorth to slip under one of my hens that had gone broody. I got twelve eggs, and I was worried because the broody is Leghorn-size and I knew she couldn't take a full dozen. Imagine my delight when I found out that my big poofy blue Wyandotte had gone broody at the last minute! So, she now has eight eggs under her (and keeps trying to hoard more from the other hens - greedy girl) my little Leghorn-EE mix has four Icee eggs + a couple of donations from her buddies, and both are happy as can be. Today is day four. Here's hoping things go better this time! I'd die of happiness if I ended up with a white chick from coldupnorth's Svana

Good luck with your broodies and the eggs!

 

[Jake Levi]

This is my 2nd try:

In ref to the two breeding roosters that I offered, they are not for sale.

They are free to anyone wanting good breeding roosters, otherwise they would be in the freezer.

They are flock leaders, gentle and nice to be around, and fertile. From Mary O'Brians line . The Isi look alike is the largest Icelandic rooster I have had. I have eggs in the incubator by him, plus his father and a half brother.

I hope someone here can use them.

Enjoy,

Jake

 

[Jake Levi]

I have some Icelandic eggs due to start pipping on Sunday. How are others hatching season going?

We have much needed rain yesterday and today, it was really getting dry, now green is the ruling color !

Life goes on.

 

[ChicwannaB]

are these chickens MUCH smaller than other standard chickens? And skittish, oh my.

 

[racuda]

They are in between a bantam and a standard chicken. Mine are not too skittish though. Here is Icelandic Elvis next to a bantam Cochin/Silkie cross hen. Elvis is a little bigger than my other Icelandic rooster.

 

[racuda]

Here is another size comparison. A black Ameraucana, white Icelandic hen and a blue Silkie.

 

[NotAFarm]

I find that my roosters are not much different in size than most large fowl roosters but my hens are small in comparison to large fowl hens......well, then again, I think it depends whether you have SOP bred large fowl. I have a German New Hampshire rooster from kathyinmo that turned one the first week of April and he is clearly larger than Audun. My chicken buddy's black Ameraucana rooster from SOP stock is the same size as Audun.
Skittish is relative......some of mine are friendly and will come right up and eat out of my hand...some even let me pick them up and hold them and pet them without dissent....others head the other direction if approached and can not be "bribed". They are very wary! I think this is a trait that was necessary to their existence in a tough environment. They can be "trained" to see you as the "keeper of the corn", as I call it. I start mine at a young age so they will know I will bring them canned whole kernel corn. They love it and will learn to come up and eat from your hand.....if you are patient and if the crowd is not too large. Another good "training" tool are meal worms.....live or the freeze-dried ones. I have live ones that I make a point of giving to my broody mommas that are raising chicks and calling them with a clucking kind of sound when I feed. The hens teach them that they are delicious and then when the chicks are "weaned", I "call" them with the same clucking sound I used when they were with their momma and they come running. Some will never be friendly, they are each individuals........thankfully!!

 

[Jake Levi]

I have a mixed hatch right now in the brooder of Icelandics, Iowa Blues, and Delawares, I think these are about the same level of wariness. In the chicken house and run mine show varying levels of wariness from standoffishness to coming up and sitting on my lap. In the pens I have now the mature hens come right up to see what I have with the rooster standing close by, my other roosters in separate pens are not at all belligerent or flighty, so all in all I have to give them a plus on calmness.

On size I would compare the hens to a leghorn hen, and the roosters slightly larger, one yearling rooster that I have now is much bigger then the average,Magnus, at least two pounds larger, he is the largest Icelandic I have seen. My previous groups of roosters when growing out did show a difference in size, whether that was genetics or feeding dominance I dont know, I am going to be watching that closely this year, as well as seeing if Magnus's size is passed on.

 

[NotAFarm]

It was hot here but we are having a wonderful cool-down.......

Here is a picture of Eldur and Eldey in the rafters the other evening. They had their wings out and were panting until I pointed the camera, then Eldur was alert to any danger the "monster camera" might pose!
(Yes, that is snow fence stapled to the rafters to keep them on "their side" of the barn. The barn is closed up at night so the divider doesn't need to be predator proof....just a barrier to keep them from "decorating" everything else stored in the other 3/4s of the barn

)

 

[debs_flock]

just a barrier to keep them from "decorating" everything else stored in the other 3/4s of the barn

)

Those Scandinavians do have a decorative flair! Maybe they've been to Ikea?