Icelandic Chickens

[Mahonri]

I took the broody mama away from the Icelandics Laree hatched... they are over a month old and do fine...

What is scary is that they climb/fly way up high into my grape vines to roost. It scared me when I realized that they were up so high and then I thought... no big deal... they are Icelandics!

 

[kathyinmo]

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My chicks even climb the fence! Honestly!

 

[Jake Levi]

I see in the news that Laree and Mahonri have another dust storm to cope with, not good. Watching it.

Otoh, we have had two days in a row with long downpours, my stock tanks under the eves are overflowing, I use them to water the garden by they have been dry for a week, and so has my garden , the rain sunday night saved it.

All of mine roost high, I am thankful that I covered their run else they'd be all over the place, and have fox dens not 75 yards from the house.

I have one little one, that got stripped in 26 hrs of all feathers but maybe 8. One day it was feathered and the next it wasnt, plus blood on the head, it has been in its own brooder since, after bacitracin on the head, has all new fuzz but no new feathers coming that I see yet. Poor thing was little but I thought holding its own but in one day that totally changed. So, hospital ward for it, I think her. So far its eating well, gets fresh green stuff daily, left over canned cat food, and the Turkey starter.

Its fluttery, I'm trying to make friends but not much luck so far.

Of the other younger ones still have four 'tame' ones, they cluster around my feet when I sit in the run, one will flutter up to sit on my leg, a beautiful light wheaten spash, light creamy body with gradual soft wheaten on shoulders and cape.

Blue the self silver, isnt all self anymore, she is developing, slowly, thin gold lines in her cape. Very pretty, with her crest she is a one of a kind, as they all are. She is one of the four really gentle ones.

I am sitting with them several times a day now, its good for all of them. Me too !

Laree keep your shop vac handy !

Life with Icelandics is good !

 

[LarryPQ]

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It wasn't so bad at my house--no high winds, just a TON of dust this time.

My Icelandics are soooo active. It's ridiculous how much they enjoy jumping around. They are bad influences on the other chicks. Seriously.


Right now I am chick-sitting some chicks for Noel, who hatched two of Mahonri's Icelandics. Supposedly the two Icelandics will stay here----they are a little weird. They both have REALLY feathered feet, and are white with a black dot on their right shoulder. They could be the same chick. Random, huh?

 

[Jake Levi]

Good on the storm for you Laree, happy dusting

I had two about identical chipmunks, both developed into black mottled browns, but one a roo and one a pullet.

 

[Jake Levi]

Its 94 in the shade here, where it has been for the past week, an extreme north cruising jet stream bringing the hot weather north to us. My Icelandics are nestled in the cool dirt in the shade of the chicken house. Drinking lots of water.

I have more single combs then I thought, and its a harder call on the RCs as to who is a roo and who is a pullet, time will tell, and so far is. I have had to rethink my call on several.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Sorry for all of you with really hot weather. Beautiful 88 here today.

Here's my failure (or success, depending on how you look at it) with chicken math today:

I get my butt and my kids up early this morning so we could take 5 roosters to Mary's house - she has a guy that comes and gets her extra roosters. But, did I leave Mary's house empty handed? Of course not! If if were up to my kids, we would have come home with an emu, a donkey and a couple of goats. (lucky for me Jack is too big for my car) So we came home with chickens instead.

So attention Kathy!!!!! Here's the 2 lovely pullets I came home with from you - they are settling in and a bit scared right now. (thankfully Mary found homes for the rest of the BR's, NHR's and Lav Orps or I would have probably come home with them all)

So 5 roosters gone, gained 2 pullets..............I think it's a good trade.

 

[Mahonri]

It hit 109 here today. YIKES and humid too.

 

[Happy Chooks]

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Thought you guys were a dry heat.

 

[The Sheriff]

They look cozy Kelly!

I did a little better in the chicken math department than Kelly. Fred was taking 10 extra roos from me and one mean Welsummer hen. That tally included Tiny Dancer and the Blonde chick. I went into the garage to find the Blonde chick with it's head outside the crate through the bars and mean Ginger picking it to death. She was still trying to kill the little guy while I was trying to get his head back through the bars. He had fought so hard to get away from her that he had tweaked his shoulders sideways to try to get through the bars. He was pretty stuck. He was bleeding from the tops of his wings and his back. He looked like he was in shock and was dragging his little wings on the ground. Poor baby. So Fred left with only 10 and I kept one badly injured little guy.

After Kelley left I brought him in the house and cleaned his wounds and applied a light coat of triple antibiotic salve. I then applied Rooster Booster Peck No More to the affected areas and rocked him in my lap while I blew on the him to dry the Iodine. He was so calm and mellow. He kept falling asleep and then Michael would say something and wake him up. I kept him in the crate in the garage until just now when I returned him outside. His best buddy, Tiny Dancer is gone but little Peanut, Skye's baby is out there alone. Hopefully they will hook up. I am hopeful he will make a complete recovery and grow his feathers back soon. Chickens are resilient that way.

I think he's pretty smart to find the jar of mealworms on my desk!

I also caught Barn Girl this morning and removed her foot bandage. The wound looks really clean and there is no more sign of infection. The end of the little toe is still swollen so she walks a little wonky but she seems to have a made a good recovery from bumble foot. I'll keep a close eye on her though.

So I now have 12 females in my layer coop and a pair of ducks. Then, of course there is Lukka and her five babies in there too but they will be moving back down to the barn when they get a bit bigger. Peanut and Blondie will be moving down there then as well.