Icelandic Chickens

[Icies]

Thank you RJ & congrats NotAFarm on more baby chicks! I can see how this hatching stuff gets addicting.

Great idea on the temp housing. I'll see what I can find! I do have intentions of growing the flock. I never expected to get chicks this early, based on the stuff I read I thought I might be on a waiting list for a year or more. When I got the call about hatching eggs I just went into high gear. I didnt have time or money to do things right so figured I would get my feet wet with a few & find out what works for me & make sure I actually like having chickens before having a whole clan. Assuming I like them & can handle the culling I could have a factory here. My dogs eat raw meat so I could use 2 a day just to feed them.

 

[NotAFarm]

It's late so I'll try to be brief.

When the three pullets/hen started hanging out in the nests during the day, I watched whenever I got a chance to see if they were still laying. I caught Cupcake and Járn after having laid an egg and took the egg and marked it with their initial. I put them in an egg carton in the feed bin in the barn. When they went broody, I gave each one back their own egg and one other Icelandic egg marked with an X. I never caught Játa laying so she got two Icelandic eggs, marked with Xs, that may or may have been hers. Játa and Járn each got off their nests and back on incorrect ones a couple of times. I finally took Járn's eggs and gave them to Cupcake since I had moved her into a separate broody coop and didn't have to worry about her not keeping eggs warm. I wanted to be sure that the egg from Járn had a chance to hatch (she is from eggs I hatched last summer from Lyle Behl). I left Játa with the two I had given her. If she left the nest and Járn was on the nest, I moved the eggs to Járn. Back and forth the eggs went until hatch day neared for Cupcake. I took two of the eggs, the one marked with a J and one marked with an X and left one X egg and the egg marked C with Cupcake. I placed the two X eggs under Játa and made sure Járn had the egg marked J and one X egg. Are you all totally confused?

I said all of that to let you know that the egg marked with a J hatched and is blue!!

The other egg had not hatched when I closed up tonight.
Járn is the blue in the center and Játa is just behind her.


Cupcake has two chicks. Very similar, and what I call a bright blonde....like wheaten chicks look.

Cupcake is wheatenish colored and I love her coloring.




There was only one chick under Játa when I closed up tonight. I didn't get a really good look at it since she has an unhatched egg, but it is chipmunk colored.

I think her other egg and the egg that hasn't hatched under Járn are the two that I moved back and forth between the two of them when they kept leaving their nests. I hope are just a bit delayed because of the cooling they underwent between the time the pullet(s) left the nest and I switched them to whoever was sitting (the time without heat could be as much as 5 hours since I checked before work, at lunch and after work on some days of the week). If they haven't hatched by dusk tomorrow, I will have to candle them.

If they're good but not ready to hatch, I'll need to determine if the pullets will stick with sitting on the remaining egg with a two day old chick that is hungry or if I need move both new chicks to Járn and leave Játa with the two unhatched eggs. The problem with the second option if what if neither of the eggs hatch? That would leave Játa with no chicks after sitting three weeks.....let's all hope the other eggs hatch tonight or tomorrow.

....so much for brief

Good night all!!

 

[arconfederate]

Notafarm, I love your hen's names. Is there a list somewhere of Norse names where you found them?

 

[NotAFarm]

Notafarm, I love your hen's names. Is there a list somewhere of Norse names where you found them?

I have an Icelandic to English/English to Icelandic dictionary that was a gift from BYCer @coldupnorth that I use for some names. There is also an Icelandic sheepdog site that has a list of names which is helpful. Here is the link that will take you to the list of female names: http://www.spurdann.com/female_names.html
The menu to the left will let you chose male names or Viking names. If you click on the name, you will be able to hear it in Icelandic.
Here is a link to the Icelandic alphabet character keys strokes needed to spell the names properly that I use:
http://www.halfdan.is/vestur/alphabet.htm
I follow a pattern that some AKC dog breeders use for litter mates and name the chicks hatched during the year with the same first letter. Járn and Játa, for example, were both hatched in 2015. Hæla was hatched in 2014. Gola and Gula in 2013. Some letters are skipped or combined because they don't have enough names that I like to cover the number I need..or I end up hatching more than I thought and need another letter to cover them

The exception in my flock is Cupcake. She had a name when she came to me from BYCer @KYTinpusher and I kept it.

I hope that's not too much information.....I have a tendency to run-on a bit

 

[Icies]

Any more hatch??

 

[NotAFarm]

Any more hatch??

Yes, both the other eggs hatched!

Játa had two chicks this morning when I did chores before going to work. The last one hatched late today. It was Járn's X egg. When I was home for lunch, I gently lifted Járn and could see the egg was pipped. Tonight at lock-up, it was fluffed but I could tell it was still wobbly, so it wasn't very old.

Now the not so good news..

..at lock-up there were only 9 juvies. One of the five from Jóka's group was missing. I looked around but no sign of it and no feather pile that I could find. I will be keeping the rest of the juvies inside until I know for sure they are not in danger. They are most vulnerable when the mommas first wean them. Heppni decided on Saturday she was done with hers. Without her around to keep a bit of a watch on the already weaned group, I think something took the opportunity to grab one. It is part of the risk when free ranging. There are six new chicks between the three new mommas...that is what I have to focus on.

 

[coldupnorth]

My only issue ever with an Icelandic rooster was trying to get between my two original cockerels. The one that backed down from me stayed, the other was used for breeding purposes but was then gone.
.....now my broody hens....

....I have bruises from trying to candle eggs or look at their chicks. They are fierce!

Hi, Laurie!!

Hi Mary!! Love seeing all your new babies!

 

[NotAFarm]

Quote: I need to get some pictures of the six new ones hatched within the last few days.

For me, Spring means Icelandic chicks!

 

[RJSorensen]

Good news from NAF, Hello Coldupnorth!

My chicks are starting their third week and we changed them to pine shavings yesterday. Growing like our weeds they are so much fun.





RJ

 

[NotAFarm]

Good news from NAF, Hello Coldupnorth!

My chicks are starting their third week and we changed them to pine shavings yesterday. Growing like our weeds they are so much fun.



RJ

What a nice variety you have, RJ!! They are getting big quickly. Do you have favorites?