Hi, my name is Cindy and I live in Northwestern CT. We've been raising chickens for about 8 years now and we still have one of the original girls!
My brother was among the shepherds that went to Iceland in 2003 along with Lyle Behl when he brought the Icelandic chicken eggs to the US to hatch. He acquired some of the offspring from the original eggs and has been raising them up in Northern Maine. Just this weekend he brought me 21 eggs to hatch myself (which I have done with other breeds) and I'm thrilled to have them. It was quite a drive down, so I'm waiting to see how many actually make it.
My concern is genetics. He said the heartiest ones survived their -40 degree winters, but they appear to be getting smaller. With all the in-breeding I'm afraid their quality is suffering. I have a nice sized Araucana/Favorelle mix rooster, but I really don't want to mix non-icelandics with icelandics. What I'm hoping for is that perhaps there is someone in New England with Icelandics who would be willing to do an egg swap (once mine are old enough to lay) to improve the gene pool for both our flocks. I'd be happy to swap chicks, but I'm not sure what kind of red tape there may be bringing poultry across state lines.
If there is anyone out there, I'd be willing to meet halfway - I've never shipped eggs, and don't want to risk these babies! I'm thinking MA, NH, RI, NY, NJ, PA. Any ideas, suggestions are welcome.
My brother was among the shepherds that went to Iceland in 2003 along with Lyle Behl when he brought the Icelandic chicken eggs to the US to hatch. He acquired some of the offspring from the original eggs and has been raising them up in Northern Maine. Just this weekend he brought me 21 eggs to hatch myself (which I have done with other breeds) and I'm thrilled to have them. It was quite a drive down, so I'm waiting to see how many actually make it.
My concern is genetics. He said the heartiest ones survived their -40 degree winters, but they appear to be getting smaller. With all the in-breeding I'm afraid their quality is suffering. I have a nice sized Araucana/Favorelle mix rooster, but I really don't want to mix non-icelandics with icelandics. What I'm hoping for is that perhaps there is someone in New England with Icelandics who would be willing to do an egg swap (once mine are old enough to lay) to improve the gene pool for both our flocks. I'd be happy to swap chicks, but I'm not sure what kind of red tape there may be bringing poultry across state lines.
If there is anyone out there, I'd be willing to meet halfway - I've never shipped eggs, and don't want to risk these babies! I'm thinking MA, NH, RI, NY, NJ, PA. Any ideas, suggestions are welcome.