I have been offline for four days, thanks to verizon getting knocked off in the same power outage that my incubator had. I lost 40 out of 41 eggs, hatched one Delaware, an Icelandic pipped but didnt hatch. Life goes on, I am setting eggs all this month.
Re the frayed gene. I believe it is one that acts in a cumulative fashion, getting it from both parents, and even grandparents. I wouldnot cull a hen that showed it, and would very carefully evaluate any chicken that showed it, because I think it is expressed in varying degrees when it shows up.
Keep in mind that this is a breed that was isolated for likely a 1,000 years, we arenot apt to see much of anything new crop up in it. Mutations arnt common in such a closely bred breed as this one. So what we see has almost surely happened before, and one of the great strengths of this very linebred and even inbred breed is the diversity that we celebrate in every chick.
When/if it shows up in my flock I will be watching it closely, I am thinking that it had a survival value in Iceland else it would have not survived.
Time will tell.
Life is good, and better with Icelandic Chickens !
Did you lose the Iowa Blues? I'm collecting to send you more early next week.
