Icelandic Chickens

[The Sheriff]

I have found that most of mine will eat an egg if I drop and break one or somebody lays on the roost and it drops. Only my barred rocks have actually broken an egg to eat it and once they started it was hard to stop. Make yourself a roll out box!

 

[kathyinmo]

I was thinking of that, too..... making a roll-out nest. I need to find a pattern or instructions on how to do that.

Tomorrow I will make the egg bomb, with food coloring added, and see what happens.

 

[kathyinmo]

I'm looking at my avatar. I think it looks like Michael Jackson.

 

[The Sheriff]

Quote:
Here is the link to Opa's instructions. I used these except cheated and started with an already built Martha Stewart bookcase. Opa also has instructions on here for a front roll out box that looks nice too. I am going to build one of those for my neighbor.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=5763905

 

[AK Michelle]

It's been a mighty productive evening around here. My DD and her BF helped me do all the cutting for the new brooder that the teenagers will be moving into this weekend. We'll assemble it tomorrow.

The best part of this new house is finally having a garage I can (and do) put a car in AND since H2B was still out helping his brother we had time to haul the lumber and sawhorses inside and do all the cutting in a warm, well lit garage.

It's the first time ever in my life I actually got to use a garage for more than just storing way too much junk.

In other news....

I candled again, it was time to check the turkeyeggs and my friend gave me a new flashlight that is PERFECT for candling. Sadly it looks like I have 1 more quitter so I have 22 Icelandics left, of those, 3 had pretty questionable airsacs but they are still perking right along so I'm leaving them be.

 

[6Happiness]

We had chickens get a taste for eating eggs a few years back and also made them an egg filled with mustard. Cured them right away! But I wanted to adda couple things...

First, you don't need to use a real egg shell with the insides blown out... those plastic eggs sold for Easter to fill with candy work fine- much easier! Stores are carrying them now, perfect timing.

Second, instead of mustard, try paper towels soaked in vinegar.... much less mess and no stained feathers.

Good Luck!

 

[Mahonri]

I've just got to find time to take pics of my five Icelandics.

I know one is a little roo, but I'm not certain of the other five.

Can't wait to hatch out more at Easter.

 

[greatergraceoffbg]

Quote:
Kathy, sorry bout the delay, I had dental surgery and haven't been on line as much, just tired. The babies are teenagers now, they are amazing. As you know the silkies have a new forever home and are dearly loved in that house! The Icelandics are a good mix, differing combs, one tuxedo, one white chested partridge that looks tux except for lacking the black, a couple of blue/red combos, one that has the feathers that are sort of lacking in substance and I could see them curling up from about the third day, I wont cull it though because it is in the Icelandics and it could one day tell part of their story.... maybe. Their is a solid black, no crests as of yet though, and I cant tell who are roos or hens yet. They are soooo friendly! I can pick up any one of them any time at all! Hope all is well with you, I will try to get a friend to take some pics and upload them, does it cost anything to do that?

Andy in Fredericksburg

 

[Noncentzter]

Quote:
Only if the friend charges you! LOL

ETA: spelling

 

[The Sheriff]

Good news on the fertility issue here at the prison. Of the 12 Icelandic test eggs I sent out last week, 11 are developing. So that is 35 developing of the last 36. I plan to put on the Kevlar gloves and lift Lukka up tonight and candle her eggs. I am hoping to tell which ones are her originals and which ones were confiscated illegally. Poor thing, I think 12 is too many for her to cover as she is as flat as if she were run over by a car.

As a side note, of the Ameraucana eggs produced by Thurston and Skye, I auctioned five and all five are developing! She couldn't tell on the five Ameraucana roo over Welsummer hen eggs I sent. What Thurston lacks in civility he apparently makes up for in virility.

In his defense, for the first time today I saw him clucking to the girls to offer them scratch. It's a start, now if he would just stop dragging them across the yard by their hair! How long did it take for the cave man to stop that?