Icelandic Chickens

[I Love Layers]

Congrats on getting Icelandics!     You will find them very different from your Cochins! 

I will always love my cochins more though

 

[Icies]

It's me again. I feel like I am always coming here w problems. This time it's rooster problems. How do you experienced chicken people handle your roosters? I've read lots about it & i think ive tried everything except for picking him up & carrying him around - because frankly I don't think I could catch him. Would he be better with more girls to watch over? Or is he worse now because it's spring? Or is this just normal behavior for roosters and they all go after people. I really don't want to get rid of him but he drew blood today and I am running out of ways to deal w him. If you have any suggestions I'm all ears... THANK YOU!!

 

[NotAFarm]

A rooster that draws blood would not stay here. I wouldn't use him for breeding because he could pass on his aggressive temperament.
If you need diversity from him in your bloodlines, put him in a separate coop. Put the hens, or hens, in with him that you want eggs from. Collect those eggs to hatch, then get rid of him. Sounds harsh, but it is hard to "reform" an aggressive rooster.
If you feel you have to keep him, search on BYC for ways to do that....I don't know of any because I'd rather not have that trait in my flock.

 

[Icies]

NAF, thanks as always for your candid answer. I tried most everything on BYC and other places on the internet and he just seems to be getting worse. I probably contributed to his behavior in some way. Not being familiar w chickens if I had handled things better early on it might not have escalated like it did. It will be awful quiet without all the crowing but I guess I will get used to that too.

 

[Icies]

I want to get rid of 2 of my 1 yr old girls is anyone is interested?? They are healthy and laying, I just have too many that look the same and want more variety. I'm in MD and can not ship.

 

[I Love Layers]

I got my pair of Icelandics yesterday. I can't tell much about them as I haven't spent much time with them. Either way they are very pretty!!

 

[NotAFarm]

I got my pair of Icelandics yesterday. I can't tell much about them as I haven't spent much time with them. Either way they are very pretty!!

We need to see pictures!

 

[I Love Layers]

I still have to get pictures! We got home at 7 last night and most of the time i was taking care of my cochins!
Hopefully i can get some tonight

 

[RJSorensen]

Hello folks… I just changed our rooster on Sunday morning, This orange fellow is Alfa, he is one of three Icelandic roosters we kept from last year. He is replacing Ice our Columbia looking fellow. We have chicks! Our own from my own incubator. Spring is getting started and everyone is loving it.

 

[RJSorensen]

A picture of some of the Icelandic chicks from this year, this is my cold weather brooder and after a few early season tweaks, it is running sweet. Love them chicks.