Icelandic Chickens

[Totalcolour]

I understand and totally agree with preserving Heritage and pure Landrace breeds (and not only in poultry). My Icelandics are pure – I have hatched eggs from purebred hens that have been covered by purebred Cockerels. (There are no other breed cockerels here). And I will continue to keep "purebred" birds)

That being said, I also believe that a Landrace or Heritage breed can be used to introduce certain characteristics or traits into another breed that it may lack. This does NOT in any way make the Landrace or Heritage breed less pure, since the offspring of the crosses are not sold; they are not bred back to the Icelandics; they are only used as hybrids to introduce qualities into an existing flock of a different breed that lacks them. This is a recognized method of producing new breeds; those that breed true over several generations are considered “pure’ breeds.

If an Icelandic cock bird has covered a bird of another breed, it does not make him less of an Icelandic, nor would a hen being covered by another breed be less of an Icelandic. However, one would have to isolate her for a period of time and then introduce her back to the Icelandic cock bird to ensure that eggs hatched from her were pure.
There are instances when someone might exclude single combed birds from their breeding program because of the weather conditions they are or may be facing in order to reduce frostbite. Or they may desire feathered legs or not, and breed accordingly. By doing this we ARE interfering with natural selection and altering the strain each of us as individuals owns; in search for the bird that fits “our” particular need or desires.

So, anyone breeding birds is altering that breed’s genetics whenever they “pen” selections together. ONLY by allowing birds to free range and letting them choose their own breeding mate will they remain the Landrace that they started out as (talking here about only allowing ONE breed to roam together).

 

[joyous]

And we're honored to have you be a part of it, Joy!! Does your DH have a twin brother that lives on NotAFarm?!

 

[Jake Levi]

Quote:

Genetic treasure is what we have, 1,000 years of isolation from other strains/landdraces.

I understand well about outcrossing to other breeds, but, that is an extremely slippery slope. If nothing else then outsiders seeing the outcrossing and believing all Icelandics are crosses.

My interest is in the Scandinavian breeds, and their hardiness, it is extremely tempting for me to acquire some Hedemora and others, but its not going to be, not unless I have totally separated flocks, separated by miles. Right now the Icelandics that I have are confined, the other chickens here are also confined, and Bantam breeds. Soon I hope to have another very different looking breed, which will be totally separate from my Icelandics. We must safeguard our living Genetic Treasure. We are only beginning to scratch the surface on seeing what we have now.

No outcrossing please, there is too much at stake here.

 

[NotAFarm]

I understand and totally agree with preserving Heritage and pure Landrace breeds (and not only in poultry). My Icelandics are pure – I have hatched eggs from purebred hens that have been covered by purebred Cockerels. (There are no other breed cockerels here). And I will continue to keep "purebred" birds)

That being said, I also believe that a Landrace or Heritage breed can be used to introduce certain characteristics or traits into another breed that it may lack. This does NOT in any way make the Landrace or Heritage breed less pure, since the offspring of the crosses are not sold; they are not bred back to the Icelandics; they are only used as hybrids to introduce qualities into an existing flock of a different breed that lacks them. This is a recognized method of producing new breeds; those that breed true over several generations are considered “pure’ breeds.

If an Icelandic cock bird has covered a bird of another breed, it does not make him less of an Icelandic, nor would a hen being covered by another breed be less of an Icelandic. However, one would have to isolate her for a period of time and then introduce her back to the Icelandic cock bird to ensure that eggs hatched from her were pure.
There are instances when someone might exclude single combed birds from their breeding program because of the weather conditions they are or may be facing in order to reduce frostbite. Or they may desire feathered legs or not, and breed accordingly. By doing this we ARE interfering with natural selection and altering the strain each of us as individuals owns; in search for the bird that fits “our” particular need or desires.

So, anyone breeding birds is altering that breed’s genetics whenever they “pen” selections together. ONLY by allowing birds to free range and letting them choose their own breeding mate will they remain the Landrace that they started out as (talking here about only allowing ONE breed to roam together).

So, keep your meat bird improvement projects over on the Meat Birds Forum or your "breed creation" on whatever forum/thread that would fall under. This thread is for Icelandics, pure and simple, and those interested in preserving them as pure. That is all I will say about it.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Choosing qualities of the Icelandics that you need for your climate is one thing - they are still pure Icelandics, no change in their genetic uniqueness. (and a lot of people here aren't even doing that) When you cross a bird, sure that doesn't change the bird you used for the cross, but it most definitely changes the genetics in the offspring. That bird is no longer an Icelandic and no matter how much you cross it back to an Icelandic - that genetic uniqueness is gone.

Crossing breeds to get a new breed is fine when you have a breed that has a good population. You aren't damaging the breed so much. But Icelandics are critically endangered, so it's a different matter. And with their unique qualities (combs, crests, coloring), how does one completely ensure that a mix doesn't find it's way into someone's breeding flock, thus ruining the genetics that we have in this country. It's just not worth it. I've had people that I sold olive egger eggs to, sell an olive egger to another person who thought they had a pure Ameraucana cockerel. Needless to say, they were very disappointed when I told them he isn't an Ameraucana.

I too have crossed breeds, made olive eggers, etc - but I didn't choose breeds to cross that are so close to extinction. I do have Icelandic pullets and a hen, but they will NEVER be crossed with anything. I hope to have a complete flock of Icelandics at some point - but I have to make sure they have a large enough area to roam as I can't do covered runs here.

They are such a wonderful landrace, there's no need to mess with them. Just my opinion.

 

[The Sheriff]

It is encouraging to have so many like minded Icelandic fans. I locked down 29 Icelandic eggs today. They are for an order I have to fill on Monday for a dozen chicks. Yikes I hope she is ok with "packing peanuts."

I am not sure when Lukka's babies are due to hatch. She has seven eggs under her and it is most definitely a staggered hatch. I will try to candle them and see if any of them look to be at the same stage of development. Any others I can take out and put in the incubator.

I also have a broody Ameraucana, Raven, who is sitting on four wooden eggs. I will swap those out tonight with three Isbar eggs from my incubator that are due to hatch in 11 days. Luckily she resides in the Isbar coop so the babies will hatch where they will live.

Tomorrow the give-away for the cute broody nest ends on my website. I'll be glad to get it out of here before anybody else decides to go broody! Sorry Kelly. I know you want a broody but you just have broody wannabes currently!

Broodies!

 

[griffinkid02]

The thing about the Icelandics is that, as has been stated previously, they are UNIQUE. There genes are different, period. Hundreds of years of breeding within only their gene pool has meant that they have entirely different genetic mutations from poultry anywhere else in the world, because the rest of the world happily lets their birds sleep around, lol. Most of the mainstream breeds are almost genetically identical except for the very small percentage of genes that govern phenotype and weight gain/laying capability. Icelandics are not so, I think Segrid said genetic testing has shown a near 78% difference between the genes available to them and the genes found in most other birds. That is very significant, concidering we are talking about comparing chickens to chickens when we as humans are 98% genetically identical to chimps, a whole different species. And the only way to preserve THAT is to keep the genes pools seperated. And there is another consideration to this. The breeder thinks first of the hardiness that he wants to add to his other breeds but what about faulty genes that the Icelandics might have? Auracana's carry a lethal gene, I doubt anything so dramatic is in the Icies, or we'd have noticed it by now, but what else could be going on? What if the the Icies carry some kind of gene that is incompatable with a gene in the other types? Something recessive that doesn't show up for a few generations, by then how far has it spread? It's simply better to keep them pure, at least until their population is re-built enough to no longer be in such severe danger.

 

[mlm Mike]

Here is a picture of what came for me in the mail yesterday. I'll have to get the good camera out, when they are allowed outside to play. My wife really likes them and gave our laying flock and rooster to a neighbor to make chicken stock.

 

[mrheinz77]

Mary,
I have eggs cooking from both groups and upon candling, they are all going strong. Were these girls with the boys they are with now before they headed west?

 

[NotAFarm]

Dreki was with the girls you have since February 10. Bjarthur and both his pullets were with the main flock. Doppa was always with him. Drottning tended to spend more time around Audun, but was not "part of his inner circle" so to speak. All eggs will be pure Icelandic (no non-Icelandic roosters here), but Drottning's may not be Bjarthur's. Good fortune for your hatch!!