Icelandic Chickens

[NotAFarm]

Breeders who "select for crested birds", meaning they will only breed the birds that have crests, will eventually have crested birds only...or nearly only... a rare uncrested "throw-back" will show-up on occasion just like single comb birds will show-up in rose combs breeds even though they have been culled for generations.
Is this a wise thing?

Should we be breeding for specific traits when by doing so some thing else may be lost along the way?

 

[drumstick diva]

Change of subject but, has anyone heard from Jake? Long time- no hear. I know he gave away most of his birds.

 

[ConPollos]

Sounds like you have a great plan for success!  It is nice that you have a neighbor with "Icelandic experience"   I hope you'll stick around this thread and ask questions you might have.

Thanks! Today I killed a snake that was coiled on the floor of my coop, which was said to be either a king snake or ground rattler by the TSC staff I showed the pic to. I bought Snake Stopper, it's said to work great and uses natural oils in a sulphur base so it doesn't bother the birds. This is the kind of thing I want to deal with before I get icees.

My neighbor's icees look so cute with their pompador hairdos.

 

[drumstick diva]

Con Pollos If the snake stopper works please let us know -

 

[ConPollos]

Con Pollos    If the snake stopper works please let us know   - 

Will do! I believe it will work bc several months ago I was Googling how to make snake repellant w/ essential oils, and I found the copyright application for a snake repellant that was tested on the snake infested island of Guam, and it worked great. I read all the test results. They kept the name a secret, but I think it must have been Snake Stopper's application bc it had the same ingredients: oils of cinnamon, cedar, and clove, plus sulphur.

The light was dim in the coop, even though it was only 6:00 pm, so I thought the coiled snake was a leaf of kale I'd given the girlz. That taught me to take a bright flashlight in there with me night and day!!! My dad will fix my coop door to make sure it closes tight at the bottom where it's warped. I'd like a screen door covered with hardware cloth instead of my solid door.

 

[drumstick diva]

Thank you - we don't have poisonous snakes around here (that I know of) but would still like to get stuff that repels them.

 

[ConPollos]

Thank you  - we don't have poisonous  snakes around here (that I know of) but would still like to get stuff that repels them.

Yeah, bc even if they're not poisonous they might be constrictors and squeeze your birds to death.

 

[RedIII]

Breeders who "select for crested birds", meaning they will only breed the birds that have crests, will eventually have crested birds only...or nearly only... a rare uncrested "throw-back" will show-up on occasion just like single comb birds will show-up in rose combs breeds even though they have been culled for generations. 
Is this a wise thing? 

   Should we be breeding for specific traits when by doing so some thing else may be lost along the way?

That's something I try to avoid with my birds. I've made sure to keep both a SC and a RC roo (okay, three of the latter.....*cough*) I try to cross them with the hens so that I can get as many combos as possible.

Here's a picture of all seven of my babies

 

[coldupnorth]

Cute little ones RedIII !

 

[coldupnorth]

After much thought and consideration, our family will be downsizing our flock/breeds considerably this Spring. Feed costs, time and space constraints are major factors in this decision. We get far too many eggs to use for ourselves and I am not good at "selling" them. I am more likely to give them away and upkeep is too expensive for that. Most of my Icelandics will have to go, even though I just love them. I will keep one small group of a rooster and 4-5 hens. The reason for this decision on the Icelandics is two-fold; one being my daughter uses our chickens to show for 4H and Icelandics are not part of the standards so can not be shown and second the few people that do buy eating eggs from us are not looking for medium white or tinted eggs. Yes, I could sell hatching eggs from them but am not in the mood to question everyone's motives for getting Icelandics or questions about their purity because I am not the "right" breeder. Yes, my birds are pure and I am careful about keeping them apart. Some of them lay a fairly tinted egg and that is because my original starter flock from a breeder was part of experiment of breeding tinted egg to tinted egg genes - eggs just get darker was the result. I hope to keep the small flock of Icelandics till after no one is in 4H and showing chickens and then I can get out of the other breeds. Most of my Tolbunt Polish will be going too, but I will keep a couple hens in with my layers because they are so funny to watch.

This has been an extremely hard decision for me, but it has to be done for the time being.