Icelandic Chickens

[The Sheriff]

Quote:
Ok, now I am confused. My first girl from the eggs I hatched from Marty started laying recently too. I have been confused because I was getting a few small cream colored eggs and I assumed they were from my silkies although both of them were broody! I have not tried to hatch any of these but have put them in the fridge to eat. In fact, I just re-homed the silkies this morning to avoid any confusion regarding white eggs. (and for other reasons too).

I have never gotten any eggs from my Sigrid flock or their offspring that were not pure white. Here is a picture I just took of the white egg on the right and the cream colored on the left. It looks just like yours.

This is a picture of the actual eggs I got from Marty and they were pure white. I never would have set them, had they not been. They don't look bright white in the picture but they were. Just bad lighting.

I will contact Marty and ask her about the cream colored eggs. Her birds all originated from the Lyle Behl line and should be pure Icelandic. If they aren't, then this is upsetting news. The good thing is I didn't ship that many birds (maybe four) and no hatching eggs from that line.

I will let you know what I find out. However it turns out I will make it right with eggs or birds from my other line. I promise.

Mary

 

[The Sheriff]

I got a reply back from Marty regarding cream colored eggs:

I was just thinking of you today, wondering how your move went, how you like your new farm, and how your chickens are doing. Ironically, the thing that prompted that was that I was collecting eggs, several of which were cream colored!

This is what I know: Lyle got hatching eggs from Iceland. The only other chickens he had were Wellsommers (sp?). I think that breed has dark brown eggs, but I'm not sure. I do know that Lyle is very careful and would never sell a hatching egg of dubious heritage.

He sold a bunch of Icelandic hatching eggs to Cathy Lallemand. She gave me my chickens from those eggs when they were so young that we wound up getting an extra rooster because we couldn't tell for sure, so I know no cross breeding took place. Our roosters didn't even start teenage crowing until way after we got them.

The only chickens I've had have been these Icelandics so I don't see how any crossbreeding could have affected them. In my experience, they lay cream colored or white eggs; rarely I've even seen an egg that is light brown.

I hope this helps put your worries to rest. I also hope you are having a wonderful time on your new farm!

Thoughts? Should I collect and set a batch and see what they look like? Ideas? I think I will call Sigrid tomorrow and see what she thinks. Also, I want to make it clear that I do not doubt anything about Marty's birds or her honestly and sincerity. She has been nothing but forthright and passionate about the Icelandic's in all my communications and dealings with her.

Mary

p.s. I am back again with a ???. Is it possible pullet eggs look more cream colored but will lighten as they age and increase in size, much like the Marans?

 

[NotAFarm]

Quote:
Mary, I wondered the same thing. I've read that many breeds lay a darker egg at the beginning of the laying season, perhaps these will get lighter. Marty does say that they lay "cream colored or white eggs" so maybe these are the cream? I looked up the post by Sigrid from earlier in this thread that I had printed out and she states "Their eggs are white or slightly beige and tend to be somewhat elongated." I'm not worried about it now that they have both stated these eggs are expected. I can't wait until I can hatch some next year.
Thanks you for inquiring, The Other Mary

 

[The Sheriff]

Confession:

I re-homed my last two silkies today. The crazy broodiness was just getting out of hand. The last straw happened yesterday. Blue Mama had been broody for weeks, hoping from nest box to nest box, sitting on everything that was laid. I was having to collect eggs every couple of hours to keep them from starting incubation on every egg laid in the coop. So I moved them to separate coops and gave Blue Mama four eggs due next week and Miss M two eggs due yesterday, still moving and peeping. They sat on them all day. I found this morning that both had abandoned the eggs during the night and they were stone cold thru and thru. The two that were due to hatch were both dead in the shell. The four due next week had zero signs of life when I candled them. I took a chance and put them in the incubator. I checked them at two hours and they still had no signs of life. At four hours I was able to see movement in all four of the eggs. Michael is paranoid that they will hatch deformed now. I am hopeful that they hatch at all. So my silkies have moved on to be pampered and loved and I can restore order here at the prison. I will miss them very much but I can't have them messing with my breeding program.

So we move on with the Icelandics and my laying crew, you know, the ones that don't lay. Yeah, those girls.

Edited to add that I am sure Lukka will take up the slack for the silkies being gone!

 

[The Sheriff]

Forgot to post the picture of my last group of hatchlings. After these shots were taken today I moved them into the big brooder with the earlier ones. And no, the little dark one is not splay legged. He just did the splits as I took the picture. He is running around the big brooder like everyone else. They are all getting along just fine. They range in age from day olds to six days old.

This group had three adorable redheads. This is the first time the darker ones have outnumbered the blondies. Look at the stink eye on the redhead on the right!

It is going to get crazy around here in a couple of weeks. I should have about 36 babies on my hands!

 

[Braclin]

Cute Babies!!

 

[kathyinmo]

Here are my Icelandics at roost time tonight. Notice the girls, as usual, up near the ceiling, and the boys on the roost. My daughter and her boyfriend made a jungle gym or play yard in their pen for them. They just love it, and run all over. I hate having them penned, but I keep thinking I will get eggs!

I had to use my old camera. DD is in the hospital and has my good camera .... she just had her baby! YAY, I am a grandma again ! ! !

 

[NotAFarm]

Kathy, Congratulations on the new grandchild!

Boy or girl?

oh....and the Icelandics look great too!

 

[The Sheriff]

Yeah, Grandma, boy or girl? Notice she remembered to mention the gender of the chickens!

Nice birds!

 

[kathyinmo]

ooooppppps. It's a boy! Kayson Connor Bowles 8 lbs 4 oz