Icelandic Chickens

[pmtervo]

Here they are!!

 

[pmtervo]

A few more pictures.

 

[KaldakurFarm]

Welcome, Tyto!!!

I ended up with 8- 6 from Lyle and two home growns. No pictures try because it's been a CRAZY couple weeks!!!! We had predator losses like never before...

Harpa just weened her babies, but now my other two Icee ladies have gone broody. I tried to break Haap of her broodiness because she pecked a chick to death that she hatched from an egg I stuck under her from the last hatch and she drowned a partially hatched egg in her water dish. It was pretty traumatic. She must have known they weren't hers, I guess. She has been problematic, and I'm still not sure what to do about her- she's STILL broody. Do you think I should chance any more eggs under her??? I have a few Orp eggs from a friend that are due in about 10 days but I'm not sure if I can trust her. Hetta is doing great on hers! All developing nicely. My Australorp is also broody again, so I guess I'll stick a couple of Orp eggs under her. Soon, I'm not going to have any layers, just sitters!

By the way, Mary, that red and blue combo is gorgeous!!!! Wow!!! Is that a blue wheaten coloration?

Amy, adorable babies!!! Love the lavender and gold!!! It's really pretty and unusual. I have GOT to trade eggs with you at some point when I've actually got eggs to trade.

Diva- we loved Ant Man too! My hubby and I are pretty big nerds. I really want to go to the Chicago version of ComicCon at some point.

Ok- over the past two weeks, we have had some problems. We just lost 6 chickens to predators, including our rooster Hann!!!!

I am sooooo sad!!! None of my Icee hens at least though. He must have been taken trying to protect an EE pullet that disappeared the same day. RIP Hann...

I'm pretty sad about it. He was the best rooster we've had. I'm hoping some of his sons live up to his temperament.

Because of our sudden losses, we chose to get an LGD. His name is Pip. He's only 9 weeks old, so there's a LOT of training ahead... He's a Great Pyrenees. Both his parents are poultry protectors, so we are hoping we can train Pip to protect our flock in the coming months.

 

[KaldakurFarm]

A few more pictures.

 

[pmtervo]

Thank you, I think that is my favorite coloration.

 

[kathleens1979]

Kathleen, I'm so sorry to hear you've had problems with predators.....but love your new pup!!
Do you know what has been getting them?
If you need a rose comb cockerel, let me know!

I might. I'll let you know, definitely! I am still growing out a bunch of chicks, and some do have rose combs, but I just gave away my oldest rose comb cockerel just before Hann disappeared (of course!).

[/quote]
On the broodies.....how many eggs does Hetta have?  Could you give one or two to Haap? I'd let her have a second try. Make sure she has a calm place/nest, chick waterer (not open water dish) and try not to bother her at all the last few days.  If she fails again, then I wouldn't trust to sit again and would try to break her if she showed any signs.  You could hatched her eggs under a hen that you know is reliable.
[/quote]

I think that's what I am going to do. I have extra eggs in the incubator, so I'm going to share all 14 between the three broodies. I have 8 eggs I have slowly collected from Harpa these past couple weeks since she is my only Icee hen laying, and I'm really tempted to incubate those and see what Hann DNA chicks I can get. I dunno. Corey will KILL me... I swore it was the last hatch like two hatches ago. Oops! Lol! I might just slip them in the incubator. What's a few more chicks when we have brooded soooooo many this year??? It's really sad to lose an Icelandic- much more than a "regular" chicken- because those genes are gone; no breed standard is great, but gone is gone.

This is why I might risk being kicked out of the house into the chicken coop to incubate those last few eggs of Hann's...

Great Pyrenees are such majestic dogs and grow very fast - boom, they are huge.  I think they are supposed to live with the flock to produce the best LGD - I know some folks won't let them in the house because they want their focus on their livestock or chickens etc.  For me,  I couldn't  keep a dog that way,  I love them in the house.  But, if they have to do a job I guess they have to stay outside.  

It WAS hard, Diva! We have two inside dogs, and the first night he slept inside because I didn't make it home until after midnight. It was really hard to put him in the big wire run outside and leave him there the next day. About broke my heart, but l looked at training sites and that's what they all said had to be done. His parents both live outside full time too with the flock. He is doing great so far, but I've been out there checking on him and playing with him a lot too. I kinda wish we had two so he had a playmate. Both out pugs are kind of scared of him and won't play, plus they are both mature adults (

). This farm thing is like the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie...

 

[drumstick diva]

I well remember "If you Give a Mouse a cookie," he becomes a total PITA. Funny because Kohls is selling the stuffed characters for $ 5. for charity. I was thinking about it but, too many stuffed toys already.

If you have a problem with massive predators - bigger than coyotes, they usually say you need a pair of LGD- honestly - no joke. Pack animals like to ambush one dog but, two makes it much harder.

 

[NotAFarm]

By the way, Mary, that red and blue combo is gorgeous!!!! Wow!!! Is that a blue wheaten coloration?

He would be closest to what the Dutch Bantam breeders call Blue Cream Light Brown, their Blue Light Brown has orange head and hackles. On the Blue Cream, the hackles and saddles are cream not orange,

I have had a couple that are close to a nice Blue Wheaten thanks to one of my original cockerels, Ari, and the cross with Asta.

Ari with Asta 2/12/11



Drekki 1/26/12





Falki 9/27/12

 

[Mahonri]

I've always drooled over Dreki.

 

[drumstick diva]

Drekki is THE MAN,