Icelandic Chickens

[NotAFarm]

Hæla hatched both the eggs she had on Wednesday/Thursday, June 8/9. I was out of town so my chicken buddy moved her into the prepared rabbit hutch/broody coop. Here they are with their momma at one week old...you will notice the position of the chicks in regard to their momma....my money is the blonde is a male (out front) and the dark chick (behind/hidden) is a female. Time will tell....



Close-ups:

 

[arconfederate]

Well, the little rooster started trying to crow this weekend. He sounds like a teenager whose voice is cracking! I need some help here too. I didn't get to video it but he and his sister were running toward each other, jumping in the air and doing chest bumbs. Not just once but probably 3 or 4 times. Is this a dominance thing? thanks.

 

[Icies]

Speaking of unusual comb types, my hens combs just started growing/getting large & turning red & they just started getting wattles in the last week or so & I have another floppy comb.

 

[NotAFarm]

Well, the little rooster started trying to crow this weekend. He sounds like a teenager whose voice is cracking! I need some help here too. I didn't get to video it but he and his sister were running toward each other, jumping in the air and doing chest bumbs. Not just once but probably 3 or 4 times. Is this a dominance thing? thanks.

Yes, dominance. If he had other boys to "spar" with, he would. Without them, his sister will have to do!

I think the young cockerels sound like Kazoos when they first attempt to crow.

They work through it and eventually you can recognize the sound as a crow.

 

[NotAFarm]

My Easter Hatchalong group is getting big!! Ended up with 6 pullets and 3 cockerels (I was wrong on a couple of maybes...just knew I had to have more males than females...sooo glad they were pullets)!!

3 pullets and 2 cockerels (dark one and blue one in foreground) in this group:


3 pullets and 1 very obvious cockerel in this group:

 

[Icies]

Icylady - can you tell me how old your chicks were when you first posted pics? I have an opportunity to buy some 1 month olds this weekend & am wondering what my chances are of being able to pick out hens.

 

[IcyLady]

Icylady - can you tell me how old your chicks were when you first posted pics? I have an opportunity to buy some 1 month olds this weekend & am wondering what my chances are of being able to pick out hens.

@Icies
Digging through this Icelandic Chickens thread.. the first photos I posted of my 4 in here was on May 27th. So the first photos here were of them at about 4 weeks and 3 days old or so (one was 4 weeks + 2 days the rest were +3)!
I did originally post some photos in the baby chick picture thread on May 8th (just about 2 weeks old there)
Is there a way for you to dig through all my posts and threads from my profile?
The only problem with all my posts are that I stated they were born on April 21st and 22nd.. but was a bit off since I wrongly calculated. I ended up confirming their hatch dates through pictures the school sent me via email of them hatching. Confirmed hatch dates are April 25th and 26 (my yellow one is the youngest and hatched in the early hours of the 26th).

You should see what they look like now at 8 weeks!




@NotAFarm

I thought I may of mentioned it in here about "nationality" in the Icelandic Chickens thread but, must of forgot. Woops. My husband is Icelandic, we live in Iceland but I am American (originally from Massachusetts). He works quite a bit away from home so I sometimes lack a "translator". Hope that clears up a bit of confusion.
Anything written in Icelandic is fairly useless to me since I am still learning the language and it's quite tough. I prefer reading in English just so I can get a 100% grip on what I am reading.

I contacted hlesey now since you directed me there.. and I was eyeing her contact info in the haena website anyway as she is listed as certified breeder. She wrote me back the same day and we will be talking a bit more over the phone to save us both issues of trying to communicate over written emails. I am hoping to get some hens from her since I am quite a bit short with numbers now that my 8 week chicks are starting to finally show who is who. (I still don't know what the yellow one is!! It's huge compared to the confirmed roosters)
From what I gathered the eggs the class got were from a farm near here that has mostly Icelandic Chickens.. but my daughter said she once saw a silky there.. meaning my rooster could possibly be a cross, I can't rule it out unless I talk to the owner of the farm and see if he keeps the breeds separate from each other. I have been trying to get in contact with this farm the eggs came from but he hasn't responded to my emails. I might have to drive over there or try calling next since emails have been ignored.

Thanks for these diagrams! It's pretty cool to see that there are so many comb types!

 

[NotAFarm]

@NotAFarm

I thought I may of mentioned it in here about "nationality" in the Icelandic Chickens thread but, must of forgot. Woops. My husband is Icelandic, we live in Iceland but I am American (originally from Massachusetts). He works quite a bit away from home so I sometimes lack a "translator". Hope that clears up a bit of confusion.
Anything written in Icelandic is fairly useless to me since I am still learning the language and it's quite tough. I prefer reading in English just so I can get a 100% grip on what I am reading.

I contacted hlesey now since you directed me there.. and I was eyeing her contact info in the haena website anyway as she is listed as certified breeder. She wrote me back the same day and we will be talking a bit more over the phone to save us both issues of trying to communicate over written emails. I am hoping to get some hens from her since I am quite a bit short with numbers now that my 8 week chicks are starting to finally show who is who. (I still don't know what the yellow one is!! It's huge compared to the confirmed roosters)
From what I gathered the eggs the class got were from a farm near here that has mostly Icelandic Chickens.. but my daughter said she once saw a silky there.. meaning my rooster could possibly be a cross, I can't rule it out unless I talk to the owner of the farm and see if he keeps the breeds separate from each other. I have been trying to get in contact with this farm the eggs came from but he hasn't responded to my emails. I might have to drive over there or try calling next since emails have been ignored.

Thanks for these diagrams! It's pretty cool to see that there are so many comb types!

I'm glad to hear you are going to talk with Jóhanna. There can't be a better mentor than someone who is actively involved in preserving them.

If there is a chance that any of your chicks is a crossbreed, you would not want to use him/her in a breeding program. A silkie in the flock could explain the feathered legs. Does that chick have 5 toes? Icelandics will have 4 toes (3 large "front facing" and one behind, and silkies have 5 toes, 3 and 2. Take a close look at the feet.

We need new pictures of your chicks!!!

 

[snhchick]

Hi IcelandicFans!

My chicks will be 5 weeks on Friday, and they are going into the coop this weekend! We've had days in the high 80s and lows in the 50s. They've been in the brooder without a heat lamp at all or light at night for about 1.5 weeks. I'll try to get some photos this weekend, but only one is getting much of a comb at this point; does that mean that it is probably the only roo? Also, I'm wondering about the breeding since I may want to let them have chicks. Here is what the breeder said:

"Early in the season I had the pure Sigrid hens separated from the Behl and Behl/Sigrid mix hens but by the time your chicks eggs were laid the flock was reunited so I call them Behl/Sigrid mixed lines. All of my breeding roosters this year are pure Sigrid so some of your chicks are probably pure Sigrid and some a mix of both lines. The Sigrid birds seem to more often have crests. There are five recognized imported lines. All lines are pure Icelandic but originated from the different times/people who imported hatching eggs from different farms in Iceland."

All of the kids have prominent crests. They are also really funny in that they will sit on my hand and not fly off. When I pick them up, they get upset, but if I just let them roost on my hand, they calm right now. I can then lower them into the brooder or playpen and they calmly hop off. Is this typical? They behave so much more like regular birds than other chickens I've seen them. They are also getting beautiful colors. I can't wait to see what they look like in a few months!

 

[NotAFarm]

Hi IcelandicFans!

My chicks will be 5 weeks on Friday, and they are going into the coop this weekend! We've had days in the high 80s and lows in the 50s. They've been in the brooder without a heat lamp at all or light at night for about 1.5 weeks. I'll try to get some photos this weekend, but only one is getting much of a comb at this point; does that mean that it is probably the only roo? Also, I'm wondering about the breeding since I may want to let them have chicks. Here is what the breeder said:

"Early in the season I had the pure Sigrid hens separated from the Behl and Behl/Sigrid mix hens but by the time your chicks eggs were laid the flock was reunited so I call them Behl/Sigrid mixed lines. All of my breeding roosters this year are pure Sigrid so some of your chicks are probably pure Sigrid and some a mix of both lines. The Sigrid birds seem to more often have crests. There are five recognized imported lines. All lines are pure Icelandic but originated from the different times/people who imported hatching eggs from different farms in Iceland."

All of the kids have prominent crests. They are also really funny in that they will sit on my hand and not fly off. When I pick them up, they get upset, but if I just let them roost on my hand, they calm right now. I can then lower them into the brooder or playpen and they calmly hop off. Is this typical? They behave so much more like regular birds than other chickens I've seen them. They are also getting beautiful colors. I can't wait to see what they look like in a few months!

Pictures would be wonderful!! ....and very helpful in telling whether the one you are questioning is, indeed, a male.

Most of my chicks are raised by a broody hen so I don't get much of a chance to handle my chicks when they are very young. I do always talk to them when I feed them with their momma (and the mommas know that I am the "treat lady"). When they are a few days
old, I move the momma from her indoor broody coop and carry her to an outdoor secure pen for her and the chicks. When I catch them, I talk low and calm to them, and take them outside and put them down. As they get used to this routine, they will, as you observed, calm down when I hold them...but they do not willingly come to my hand and want to be held. The only two hens I have that I can catch and hold were not raised by a hen. They will all come up to me and take treats from my hand but do not want to be caught and held. They are fascinating.