Icelandic Chickens

[The Sheriff]

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Hi Sigrid! So nice to hear from you and thanks for your kind comments. What I have learned from posting about the Icelandics on this forum is that there are some wonderful people out there willing to help preserve these great chickens without crossbreeding or standardization. I do appreciate your frustration in promoting the breed for preservation purposes though. I have had more people curious about how much they could sell hatching eggs for than those wanting to join the preservation movement. I am using my best judgement in deciding who to share them with. I hope I do the right thing.

I hope you are enjoying your trip to Iceland. Your photos from the volcano were fascinating and scary. I am so sad to hear about the loss of your friends flock in a fire. He must be devastated. It is wonderful that people are helping him rebuild. I wish him the best. Losing one is so hard. I can't imagine losing that many. What a blow to the preservation movement.

Thanks for your comments about my birds. I agree that they are beautiful. I enjoy them every day. They are so hardy, healthy and busy! That is why we had to have a wing clipping party a few days ago in the juvenile pen or who knows where they would be living right now.

This morning Lukka decided she had had enough of being a Mom and kicked her baby out of the nest. Poor little thing kept trying to get back in, but she kept kicking him right back out. I let her out of the pen to join the rest of the flock and Isi mated with her the minute her tail feathers exited the gate! From there she ran straight into the big coop and laid an egg. So her broody hormones are gone and she's back to living the life of a single gal without children. She had a little dust-up with some of the hens who had moved up in the pecking order in her absence. This afternoon she appears to be Isi's #1 girl again! I put her baby in with the other juveniles. Except for a bit of chest bumping they are getting along just fine. They are all running, digging and playing.

Enjoy Iceland and I hope to see you post again.

Mary

 

[Reinbeau]

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Sigrid,

It's good to see you here posting. Someday I'd love some hatching eggs, too, I'm not a breeder, but I'd be happy to start with the Icelandics!

 

[Barred Rocks forever]

i give u guys props for your work what are your plans so far ?

 

[kathyinmo]

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Sigrid,
It is so nice to see you posting! I agree with you, Mary is a wonderful advocate for the Icelandics. She will continue to make you proud, I am sure of that. She is wise and has good judgement. You, Sigrid, have chosen well in Mary.

I can not understand why anyone would even want to cross breed these lovely creatures, as they are perfect the way they are. There is no need for a, "standard," for these birds. That is not important nor necessary. I feel strongly that this species needs to be saved and the population of them increased. I hope to work with Mary on accomplishing this task. This should never ever be a money making venture for anyone. The preservation of these birds is a task I embrace, and will not take lightly. It would be shameful to allow these birds to disappear, and I feel the urgency of this matter.

Beth, you put it so well:

After reading all that, I agree- DON'T try to figure out a standard if you lose anything in these babies- it sounds like something best left alone. They have amazing character in the diversity, don't they? It's like the work of one artist- definite in that a single artist painted each them, but each an individual work of art in itself.

I am so sorry to hear about the loss of nearly 300 of these beauties. That is such sad news. I hope this man will continue his work with the donations he is receiving. How heartbroken he must be. It is a loss to the world, not just this man. One tenth of the entire species gone ..... that is devastating, and makes this work even more urgent!

Sigrid, I am sending a cashiers check to the Protective Society for Icelandic Chicken fund. I hope this will help (in some small way) to protect and preserve this beautiful species. I only wish I could do more.​

 

[Mahonri]

I have really enjoyed reading this thread.

 

[Bantimna]

Mary, I haven't visited this thread for a long while. The black hen I was telling you about in my first posts here on this thread. Well I was supposed to receive her, but instead the lady decided to cook her instead.

I wish she wouldn't of done that, then I might of had Icelandics

 

[pinkchick]

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Mary~

You have done a FABULOUS job!!!!!!! Thanks for posting and sharing all of the information you have acquired on these most beautiful and special birds! They are AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! I love reading this thread and following your journey with you.

Why would anyone ever want to or try to standardize these birds?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? *sorry....got a little excited there *

 

[Happy Chooks]

Sigrid - I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your friends flock. Such a hard hit for him and especially for the breed. This breed is fascinating in so many ways - mostly because there is no standard and the variety of colors you get from them.

I have met Mary, and she is doing a wonderful job with these birds. Anyone can tell that this is her passion.

 

[The Sheriff]

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this and chocolate!

 

[Happy Chooks]

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this and chocolate!

Well, who doesn't love chocolate?