Icelandic Chickens

[NotAFarm]

Red, That picture looks like one of Mary O'Brien's (The Sheriff) flock at her old place. Maybe taken from this thread or maybe from somewhere else. He may (but I doubt it) have permission to use it on an ad but I would have to wonder about someone using someone elses picture to sell theirs.

 

[RedIII]

Yeah, that's kind of what I thought. There's the other picture on the add that has a B&W mottled bird partially in view, and I just can't shake the feeling that I've seen that exact picture before. Why in the world would someone take the time to find and put up stock photos, but not use pictures of their own? And then not mention that the birds pictured aren't the flock being sold?

EDIT: Bingo! The image I was looking at was from an auction thread Mary O posted quite some time ago

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...s-in-time-for-the-mahonri-easter-hatch-a-long

I know that whatever you put out in the public domain is available to the public, but this ad still bothers me. And I wouldn't exactly want someone kaifing my pictures and using them as their own, either.

 

[NotAFarm]

Red, I PMed The Sheriff and she said he got all his flock from her. She doesn't have a problem with him using the picture since his birds came from her......in light of this info, if you're close enough, Go for it!! It would be a great way to increase your flock with some very good stock!

 

[RedIII]

Thank you for checking with her on that, Mary. I don't think I'll be picking up anymore birds, as I already have three hens and then these babies from Coldupnorth's flock, but the ad did make me wonder. It's good to know that everything is okay

Still, it is tempting to just go and see what kind of birds he has growing out

I wish my chicks were just a couple of weeks older. They're right at the six week mark, and three have waddles coming in, like I said. But only one of them is getting obviously pink. Raaaarrrrr the suspense!

 

[Jake Levi]

Well , they are HOME !!!!

My new guys and gals from Mary !

And they are every bit as beautiful as their pictures. More so in truth !

They give a wonderful chance to blend both Mary O'Brians/Sigrids line with Lyle Behls.

I am keeping one cockeral of this years hatch by Isi, a beautiful slate gray that I am hoping with be blue, and has good size, and wil be setting some eggs by Isi and his girls in the spring.

The two cockerals from Mary will have each several of my June/July hatch pullets plus one or two of Marys for their flocks. So I will have 3 small flocks. I am wanting to add the Crests and Rose Combs to all of my Icelandics.

My O'Brian line I think has the edge in size to add to the blend, its going to be a really expectant spring hatch in 2014 !

Meeting Mary and Mike was a delight ! I enjoyed our short visit so much, but they had a long drive ahead of them so it was short and sweet.

When I got home I found I had a bonus, two pullet eggs ! Mary had given me seven of the most recent eggs of Foesella's so I set 9 eggs this morning ! They may well spend the winter in the basement but they wont be the first I have house raised !

I'd write more, will later, but now that its almost light out I am going out and look at the new Icelandics !!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Beautiful birds you got Jake! Congrats!

 

[RedIII]

Congrats, Jake! Now, we will be seeing you on here again, right? You're not going to ditch us for the new birds............right?

Jake?

.........................Oh dear.

 

[Myrth]

How wonderful, Jake. Having several flocks to work with will do much for your plans developing the breed.

 

[Jake Levi]

Oh yeah, I'll be here

There will be the three flocks, one with Isi and his girls he has now, and I will be setting some of their eggs in the spring. And two other flocks with Marys Roosters over her pullets plus dividing up six of Isis''s pullets between them. So more then 2/3rds of the springs hatch will be out of crested/rose combed parents or half that way. Just one of the new roosters is crested, but thats fine, I will be raising out a couple of his crested roosters, I hope.

The other trait that I want to add is the featherlegged, that will be. I am wanting to tip the balance of cold hardiness as much as I can for my Icelandics. My climate here is colder then the inhabited regions of Iceland. And I know that others here have colder then mine.

The Rose Comb has to be an advantage, I saw Isi get some frostbite, his first winter here, his pen this year will have more shelter, that was a cold winter he had here for his first one. I am hoping that the addition of crests will also give a bit more cold protection for the others. We'll see, winter is not far off.

It does look like I will be building pens early next year, for growout pens.

Right now all of my pens are off the ground. I had planned on building two chicken houses, dividing them in half . But, I have been thinking more and more on getting the flock certified. So each group is isolated. I hope by spring to have each flock well separated, and off the ground. And then will apply for the certification testing.

I have a small group of Iowa Blues that I have from eggs that Kari sent to me, they are beauties ! One very nice Birchen Cockeral that eats from my hand and enjoys being petted. He has very nice thick conformation too. There is one other cockerel that I may cull, flighty. It would be a good survival trait in a free range only flock, but not a penned one. His conformation also is not as good as the Birchens. So I think he will go to the growout pen. This is a very nice beginners flock, if I could do justice to two breeds these would be kept.

Anyhow, this small flock of Iowa Blues is available to the right home. Someone who will keep them separate and breed them as an Iowa Blue flock. PM me and we can talk.

Life is good, and better with Icelandic Chickens !

 

[AletaG]

By accident, basically, I have 2 Icelandic hens and one cockerel (someone was culling, and thought they were all boys). The cockerel has been happily breeding my production Rhode Islands for the last week, but "his" ladies haven't yet laid pullet eggs, and he still treats them like non-kissin' cousins. Assume that will change? My current plan is for my layer flock to be his, and those 2 ladies. Wondering, however... I know with many breeds a straight up trio is a dead end in a few years. But Icees are a land race... Guess I'm thinking about breeding them, but not sure what a good 'minimum' would be. My focus is going to be HRIR (who's extras/non breeder hens will replace my layer flock) but my husband is still in love with these guys. And don't get me wrong, they're pretty amazing. I'm just not sure we have room for a lot of another breed. I see Jake has 3 completely separate flocks, and is going for a serious diversity project. Is it necessary, or just super nice, to be able to do that? (If you'd like to maintain a small flock, and sell eggs or chicks sometimes) Would we just be better to breed what we have, then in a few years, replace our parent stock from outside? It's exactly the opposite of Heritage breed LF maintenance, but then, they are a totally different thing!