Icelandic Chickens

[kathyinmo]

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Congratulations! The fun has begun!

 

[Asgard Farms]

My Icelandic Roo is such a nice man - he sang the egg song when his girl layed an egg

to cute - maybe she will go broody

 

[centrarchid]

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Jake,

I made same assumption at first as inland locations have very intense winters. Look at climatic data on same sites that breakdown conditions based upon altitude and distance from coast. There is a strong temperature gradient as you move away from coast. Most keepers of birds are close to coast. In respect to snow, that is a bigger stressr than cold, especially for free range-birds. My games can match any chickens when it come to foraging in cold weather but if snow cover deep for any length of time they potentially starve. I bet Icelandics can forage year round despite temperatures because of limited snow depth / cover while in much of North America food supply can be cut off by snow conditions.

 

[Jake Levi]

I've been doing some googling myself, and my opinions on weather were slewed by what farmer friends on the east coast and NE have reported, overal the country is milder then they have, but they are higher and have no geothermal activity and their winters are cold, but the rest of the country is more moderate, a number of google hits on Icelands climate, none of it is real great for outside ranging chickens in the winter, more like RI or MA in the winter without their extreme coldest weather,

heres one site:

http://goscandinavia.about.com/od/icelan1/ss/weathericeland.htm

Considering their chickens ranged outside year around, and on manure piles in winter etc, they are really pretty hardy, a poultry product much like the Mustang and the Texas Longhorn, or Scottish Highlander. Smaller size was more efficient and had a higher survival value.

During the teens centuries there wasnt a whole lot of grain raised there and available for chicken feed.

 

[centrarchid]

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The lack of grain issue I thought still remains. That is why I am leary of giving them the "high quality" feeds typically used to raise poultry. It might be a little on rich side.

No doubt about hardiness if they have been raised in dunghill mode with minimal management. I bet they can blow doors off our grain fed birds when it comes to extracting nutrients from green plant materials and likely have a lower maintenance requirement (fewer calories).

 

[kathyinmo]

I believe our Icelandics are far enough removed from "dunghill" mode that they will thrive on high quality feed and grains. That is what mine will continue to be served.

 

[The Sheriff]

Well, I have forty free range Icelandics and two donkeys and I can assure the Icelandics still love a good dungpile!

 

[kathyinmo]

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That is cuz you are in California. Mine are very well mannered and choosy with what they eat.

 

[ReiMiraa]

I want to buy some Icelandic hatching eggs to be shipped the week of May 15
Please PM me.
Depending on cost i would like 12-24 eggs.

 

[Jake Levi]

Hi Centrarchid, grain is still mostly imported in Iceland which makes chicken feed as we know it very expensive. The Sheep, cattle and horses are heavily on grass and hay.

I'd like to see input from those here with adults as to feed intake and how their chickens do on our feeds. I am expecting to hear that they do well, and also that they are superb free rangers. I am going to be watching these chicks at home very closely in a lot of areas. I have just a few left of the other breeds, and may not have them by fall, depends on a lot of things, but I have enough information on them for comparison with the Icelandics.

I dont have any illusions of them becoming a production breed, but I am expecting them to really take off as a Homestead Chicken. By this time next year I should have a very good idea.

I am seeing them as a hardy, free ranger that can be a steady producer of eggs and extra roos for the pot. It'll take dressing out a few roos to get a good idea of how they finish and the best age for it.

Meanwhile, I will be hoping for some Lukkas and be fascinated at all of their diversity.