Icelandic Chickens

[snaphu]

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[AK Michelle]

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YUM!!!

 

[NotAFarm]

Agghh!!

STOP talking about Nutella and ice cream!!!
I come here to be distracted from snacking and I get Nutella, chocolate covered this and that.....

I've been out-of-town and have gotten caught up on things as much as possible with work getting in the way. Here is the Kella pic of the week:

Six Icelandic boys (along with ten Java and Wyandotte/Java cross boys) went to the auction last week. Brought $3 a piece. I still have 7 sons of Ari left to chose the two I'm keeping from. I don't plan on keeping any of Audun's sons since I will keep Baldur (he is at least a 1/2 brother of Audun's from The Warden) and Audun himself.

Remember how I took Anna's eggs she had been on for three days and traded them for the ones I had in the incubator? She had 17 eggs, I put them in the incubator when I gave her the dozen that were at lockdown....I candled them last night....one dozen have chicks!!

And..........Asta started sitting on a nest of 15 eggs that she laid during the last few weeks (I left them in the nest box hoping she would go broody while I was gone and she did!!) I got the broody box ready and moved the incubator eggs and Asta into it last night.

Chicks should hatch the 30th/31st. My friend that did chores for me while we were gone (including turning eggs three times a day, best friend ever!) asked why I was "incubating more eggs when you have 45 chickens now?"

I had to explain that Anna's 11 babies don't count because they are babies, that the cockerels don't count because they aren't all staying, that the 2 Java and 2 Java/Wyandotte pullets don't count because they are going to other homes, etc...................you know, a chicken math tutorial..........

But it did get me thinking and when I moved Asta last night, I did not put the 15 eggs she had in the nest in the incubator. I'm calling it quits on more incubating..........and now that I know Anna and Asta will be broody on a regular basis......and have 13 pullets (right now, not counting the 11 Anna chicks that are too young to call or what Asta might hatch from the dozen eggs she has) that should start laying this fall and may have their mothers' "broodiness gene", I may just sell the incubator and let the hens do it all from now on. Having the incubator in just down right dangerous......I don't need to hatch every single egg they lay..............do I?

 

[Jake Levi]

Kathy I have a Bitsy too, but she got plucked clean in less then two days, so now she is in rehab and growing in a new set of everything, coming in pretty too, she was very flighty alone but is slowly taming down. I am just hoping that her growth picks up in the next two months. All of her hatch mates are now pushing the older ones in size, I think in 2 mos they are going to be close to mature size.

Isison is developing his mature color pattern, I GOT to get pictures posted !!

Life is good and better with Icelandics, and a few Goats !

 

[kathyinmo]

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I agree. Those incubators are dangerous!

HEY, you could maybe try eating the eggs!


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I had two little ones. The other one was a failure to thrive, as well, and died. I worry about this little one, but decided not to take her out of the pen and baby her. It is "survival of the fittest," here. So far no one seems to be picking on her, but she is a loner for sure. She is always wandering about by herself, where the others go in pairs or groups. Good luck with your Bitsey!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Not nice Kathy - trying to play tricks!

Did you lose a Delaware again? The only one I see that looks different is #20?

Snaphu......I agree, it's a pullet.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Mary, we have to have a talk.

Luna, my independent little squirt, who likes to take a stroll OUTSIDE the run every day, was into mischief again this morning. You remember my storage area, that's 4 feet off the ground above the brooder area?

Upon closer inspection:

Apparently she's too good for a nest box.

She must be the offspring of one of your goat feeder girls. What a diva!

 

[The Sheriff]

Well of course she's too good for that nest box you have. If it had been good enough for an Icelandic princess, I would have kept it myself silly!

 

[Jloeffler]

I had never seen or heard of Icelandic chickens before I saw this thread today and decided to investigate. Your birds are all gorgeous and I can see why you have fallen for them, beyond the desire to save an endangered species. I live in NC where it can get pretty warm. (See recent weather reports of heat indices in the 111 degree range) How do they do in warmer climates? I have Cochins who have adapted well since the heat spikes and drops, not holding at ultra high normally for more than a few days at a time. Maybe this was already asked but I didn't go back and read all the many pages of entries. How are they personality wise? My children, ages 4, 4, & 7 handle all our birds.

 

[AK Michelle]

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Too cute