![]()
it's meant to be--maybe. Looking into the crystal ball, I see you as a future pillar of the Isbar community.
The latest eggs I set had very fragile shells, but I set anyway....candled yesterday -- and I really don't know. Thinking I won't get a hatch. Didn't help that the rainstorms caused a power failure for 1 1/2 hours. Will know in a few days now.... and I'm just going to set every Isbar egg that comes along. Even hatching out onsie-twosies.... I'm concerned about the originals...hope that the population can be increased.
Mine are 1/2 original...and have (as chicks anyway) the characteristics I like about Isbars...but only have 3 babies -- and thinking they are all males.
Since I have a great male out there already, I'm hoping for females. Since my other breed is cream legbar -- I'm so so so spoiled by knowing gender at hatch.... but in the Isbar chicks I have I see little tiny wattles at 1 week old....and in the one hatched a month ago -- I see big feet and chest bumping with his room-mates. (and I thought sure it was a girl)
My Isbar chicks are smaller than my Legbar chicks (as in growing slower or increasing in size more slowly) -- and in the pens my Isbar hens are smaller than my Legbars out there. All this I kind of contribute to the inbreeding of Isbars. Anyone else with chicks mixed in the brooder see smaller Isbar chicks of equivalent breeds?
Isbar are medium size chickens which is one of the things I like about them. They are the smallest in my brooder, because they are with marans and leghorns. That said they are not intimidated and just as vigorous. They aren't crazy like leghorns and can be a good influence on the flighty breeds. I don't have leg bar, so can't really compare. It sounds like you may need an infusion of new isbar blood. My isbar use more oyster shell than my other breeds. IDK why this is, but their bowl is always empty. All of the Isbar I have are first import, but from different breeders in different parts of the country. I have noticed, for whatever reason they do not do as well if started out on medicated feed. I am in coccidia central in mid-TN and have lost chicks to it. If I get them a good start with organic feed and plenty of vitamins/probiotics, i can g-r-a-d-u-a-l-l-y switch them over to medicated to begin the transition outside.