Icelandic Chickens

[Hangtown Farms]

i love the golden blue

 

[Greybear23]

Ok now for the pica of the Frayed Rooster, I caution you these are dramatic!!! Lynn

He is a Black Breasted Red color pattern, has a super comb almost a Red Cap size!!
I noticed this happening a while back but I thought it was because he was sticking his head through the pallet divider between cages, it started with the neck feathers and I have a Game rooster that looked that way because I seen him sticking his head through the pallet divider all the time. But when Mary mentioned the Frayed Feather Gene, I knew this was what the Icelandic Rooster had, the other pics of him are showing it better.
note the breast feathers!!

Look at this comb! It is huge, but nice!!! under side.

Over the back!!! Sooo what do you all think, should I cull him? He is a nice rooster and I know a lot of people who like Silkies and I really think this may be the same gene that makes them look like they do, perhaps somewhere in history there were silkie chickens imported into Iceland!!! I see rumpless gene in several breeds and tasseled(top knot) in several breeds and muffs (bearded) in several breeds sooo why not silkie in Icelandics!!! Just my opinion!!! Comments welcomed!!! Lynn

 

[kathyinmo]

X

 

[Mahonri]

I've looked the 7 of my Icelandic pullets from the NYD hatch over... (only the blue one has frayed feathers) all of these birds came from my hens that I gave to Boston. Of Boston's Icelandics, 2 hens came from Kathy's eggs and the rest with the two roos came from The Sheriff's eggs. As you know I had one roo from that group that had the fray gene, but he was rehomed, but one of the hens or roos must have carried the gene.

I still don't know how many of the Icelandics from NotaFarm's eggs from the Easter Hatch have or carry the fray gene. I still don't know how many are roos or pullets... I do know that one little roo is injured... perhaps from a fall from the roost and I doubt he will make it. (They love to fly up high!... and then fight to stay on the roost)

Guess we'll just wait and see.

 

[kathyinmo]

X

 

[The Sheriff]

Lynn are your birds fighting? The girls look like they are being over mated or treated roughly by the roosters. I say that from experience. I have two Ameraucanas that have bare backs and head feathers pulled out. I re-homed one and moved the other. The feathering on your roo doesn't look typical for what I have observed but then I haven't grown any out either. I agree with Kathy about culling the one. If you decide to keep it separate it for sure. Good luck with your back. I have experience there too.

Mary

 

[Greybear23]

Thank you Kathy for the information and your opinion, I wondered why the wings and tail were not frayed also, I really have not seen this in any of my birds before, I know some about genetics but not nearly enough, it is very interesting to my though. Thank you Mary for you information and opinion, I am very curious if he will molt out of the feathers the way they are, so I am going to keep him for a while and see what happens, I will send in update pics of him as things go along. Mary my birds are a little crowded right now, as I am in the (slow) progress of building a large cage for the major flock and individual rooster pens so I can rotate my Roosters, they are molting somewhat to due to the drastic changing Oklahoma weather, hot days and cool night and warm day and hot night, but I also wormed them today with Wazine just in case. Like I said I have been much dependent on my 16 and 7 year old children to do chores and things are not always done as I like, my wife works swing shifts and I try to keep house and laundry done, and fix supper, which is more than I can handle at times, I am to the point I can not walk over a hundred feet without setting a while, I do go out most days and try to watch the birds and kids while they do chores. Hope to get my back taken care of soon, I am working on it. I love my birds and I am very appreciative of ALL comments, none taken in vain. Anyone else with suggestions please speak up. I value you all as friends, this computer helps keep me sane most of the time!!! LOL Lynn

 

[Hangtown Farms]

the picture on the left was the icelandic's ones on the right where the penedesenca. here are the icelandics

 

[Mahonri]

Autosomal recessive.... Dang... so that's why Mary re-homed all the birds but two.

That means that at least half of the non-frayed birds carry the gene. Oh well, I doubt I'll have the guts to keep an Icelandic roo anyway, so I'll enjoy the eye candy... wish I could get all my neighbors to sign off on my keeping a roo. Oh well.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

in such a rare breed is there any line that would not have the gene somewhere? all mine came from Mary's line and I have not had any issues.
Just curious.