Icelandic Chickens

[Happy Chooks]

It never occurred to me either Mary until I found him with bleeding wattles and blood all over the feeder rim. Just like in "A Christmas Story", it will stick!

 

[RedIII]

Coldupnorth, my boy sure looks like a clone of yours! He's already trying to find treats for his ladies and calling them over. I hope that means he'll be a good flock meister. It's sure hard to have to pick and choose between the boys for who will stay.

I got a video the other day of my three youngest Icelandics checking out the snow for the first time. I'll try and upload it soon. They thought it was the best treat they'd had in a long time, haha.

 

[Jake Levi]

We are enjoying a 3 day break in the temps today, up to 37, yesterday morn it was 8, and the morning before that -9. No frozen combs yet, but have lights in all of the pens.

Right now I have 3 extra roosters to grow out as standbys, 2 are pretty sure going to freezer camp in the fall. But of the rest will have two others on standy, a dark mottled grandson of Isi, and a RC crested of the fall hatch of Marys line. He is a keeper. I will probably give him several pullets anyhow. I think my senior Isi will go to retirement pen, he has been my real flockmeister, he has a permenent home here.

Gose has the largest number, 9, and 5 in the other flock. Both roosters are RC and crested. I will have the dark mottled as standby. He may get some use in the fall for another late hatch. I expect to be watching Gose's cockerals pretty close for more of the Crested RCs. Some of them will be out of RCs and a couple of crests. I might even combine them with Gose in a separate breeding pen for awhile.

Its great to have extra roosters to keep for extras. Ya never know.

Temps dropping back down tomorrow eve, tis the season, but, april is coming.

Good luck all, its been a heavier snow and longer cold so far this winter here then any in the past 12 years. And we are just barely to the halfway mark for winter. We have the right breed for it.

Life is good, and better with Icelandic Chickens !

 

[RedIII]

The weather here has been thawing, so there's brown grass and dirt popping up everywhere. I have been letting the Icelandics out of their pen to roam around the yard during the daytime, and when I went to put my juveniles away tonight, one of the pullets gave me the slip. I spent a while looking for her. She's dark brown in color with a silver coif, so that didn't help. I think I scoured the bush she was in four times before I actually saw her. I'm so glad I found her and got her put away safely, though. I would have been pretty upset if she'd stayed out overnight and gotten too cold.

One of my Icelandic hens seems to be contemplating broodiness, too. Or, she was until yesterday, when she got a good look at the snow still on the ground and then tried to sit on three ice cold eggs. I think she changed her mind after that. One of my other hens, an SBEL, has gone broody yet again. I gave her some Serama eggs that all turned out to be infertile, and I'm seriously contemplating being very naughty and collecting a few Icelandic eggs to give her. Hmmmm. The Seramas would have been for a friend. But Icelandics?.......... No point in trying to hatch more, other than curiosity as to what colors I'd get.

 

[Jake Levi]

Two of the pullets that I got from Mary in Oct are sure acting broody, at least one or the other will be sitting on a nest of 7 eggs, when there are no others to lay. The almost redpainted/spotted pullet is the one most often there. Grima also, one or the other. For sure they are going to get clutches of eggs on their own this spring. I have two 4' by 3' by 4'H pens, at the moment occupied by 3 turkeys which are soon going to freezer camp. Another 8' long pen has the roosters also going to the freezer, that needs to get done, hopefully this week. Then the fall hatched brood can get spread out. Life goes on. Unless its in freezer camp.

 

[mlm Mike]

... Life goes on. Unless its in freezer camp.

Here is a pic of one of my Icelandic Hens. Poor thing went into molt right before our sub-zero temps arrived. She seemed to survive ok, and is quickly growing her feathers back.

 

[RedIII]

Mike, your girl is very pretty, molt or no

Jake, I can't remember if you've mentioned what kind(s) of turkeys you raise? I have one bronze and two BS.

I've been spoiling my girls to try and coax them to lay a few more eggs for me. I only have one Icee egg so far. Come on, girls!

 

[RedIII]

Okay, so I'm impatient. I got another Icelandic egg today from the same hen who laid the first one. I put both eggs under my broody. This will be an interesting experiment, as it's either this hen or her sister that keeps throwing black chicks. I've seen at least two of them hatch out of my flock, now. And I know it isn't my spangled beauty, Flekka.

 

[NotAFarm]

Mike, From what I've read on other BYC threads, 2013 was a strange year for molts. I know my Icelandics have never molted as late in the year as in '13, never lost as many feathers at once or taken as long to regrow them. I will be watching closely this year for any pattern. The cocks didn't lose as many all at once like the hens but they looked "unkept" for longer. It wasn't just the older hens (Anna and Asta at 3) but Elska (2) and Fina on her first molt so it wasn't an age thing.

Red, I'm glad you found your pullet. I know what you are saying about the "hatching bug"! I can hardly wait for Spring so I can see the momma and chicks in the yard. I hope your broody is successful!

Jake, I hope the pullets don't go broody too early for you. Their mother, Forsaela, went broody in February for me and I broke her and then let her sit when it warmed up a bit. Sounds like they take after her.....and that's a good thing.....she was a great momma.

Our 10 day forecast has the daytime highs from 37 to 6 F and nighttime lows from 17 to -3 F.........but the daylight is lengthening, so can Spring be far away? I hope she shows-up early this year.

 

[Jake Levi]

Mary the 'broody maybe' pullet is colored very much like the hen just behind your dark one in your post. All of them are quiet when I put my hand under them, some niggling but all in all pretty good.

I love the temperament on all of them , Gose is still pettable, curious whenever I open the pen doors, he is looking magnificent. The dark wheaten pullet of the late hatch loves to be held, she will snuggle right in when I take her out. Her hatchmate that I thought was a pullet, with the red crest and RC is going to be the 2nd using rooster. He gets her, plus two of Isi's daughters, and maybe Isi's hens if I retire him, still thinking on that but its likely, time for him to be just a pet. Maybe with one hen.

I got some of the grow out roosters into the freezer yesterday, for sure size is something I need to be selecting for also. Small size is not needed here for winter survival.

Snow coming down pretty fast, 18 out, high yesterday of 24. I can handle a winter like this.

My turkeys are a Black Spanish pair, and one Bourbon Red hen. I am debating whether to move them to a former dog pen, with 6' fence, or put them in the freezer. I wanted a pair of Bourbons but the other one died after I brought it home. If they nested and raised some poults it would be interesting to see the cross. The BS are smaller in comparison to the Bourbon, the hen anyhow, she is several pounds lighter. If I keep them I will try to grow out a few more of the Bourbons to get a Tom. We'll see. They are nice temperament, especially the hens, the Tom wants through the wire divider when I open the pen door. I had thought the BS were larger. My favorite turkey that I have raised is the Wishard, to me they are the ideal homestead Turkey, free range, fly, always come in mornings for feeding then range around for the rest so they take quite a bit less feed and the hens raise nice sized broods which they bring in for feed. The are very scarce, the only breeder I know of is in Ontario. They are derived from the bronze, but a bit trimmer, a 28 lb Tom is 'normal' hens around 18-20lbs.

Life goes on, we are halfway through Jan now and so far no way below zero like I have seen here, -25 was often when I first moved here.