Isbar thread

[Johnny Kool]

I think size wise they're all over the place. I have hatch mate hens and one is maybe 3 1/2 and the other one is easily over 4 1/2. The larger one has the light eyes white earlobes and dark green legs the smaller one has dark eyes red earlobes and light green legs. Their brother from the hatch has light eyes white earlobes and light green legs and is dumb as a rock. They must be realllllly inbred.

 

[KYTinpusher]

It might just be because i raise swedish flower hens and icelandics but has anyone noticed isbars are built like swedish flowers and resemble some icelandics. Is it just a swede thing? Haha

Quote:
My Isbars are small birds also, noticably smaller than my Swedish Flower Hens, but perhaps a bit larger than the Icelandics that I used to have. I will have to look to see if I can find an expected weight. I would imagine that a small-sized bird was a key aspect of what Silverudd was trying to achieve with this breed and would have bred toward small and very feed efficient, while laying lots of large, green eggs. From what I have read and my conversations with my contacts in Sweden, they have a utility RIR and an old utility strain RIR (called Eksjöhöns) which I am told are not the same thing. I am told the Eksjöhöns has Minorca in it's background and is smaller than the current utility RIR. How much smaller, I don't know. In one of the descriptions of the Minorca that I read, they emphasized the extra-large sized eggs that they laid with respect to body size - sounds like the Isbar!

 

[KYTinpusher]

I think size wise they're all over the place. I have hatch mate hens and one is maybe 3 1/2 and the other one is easily over 4 1/2. The larger one has the light eyes white earlobes and dark green legs the smaller one has dark eyes red earlobes and light green legs. Their brother from the hatch has light eyes white earlobes and light green legs and is dumb as a rock. They must be realllllly inbred.

Mine do vary somewhat in size, but I find them very intelligent (for chickens, anyway). I also find them to be very sweet and the easiest of my breeds to integrate new members into. It is very important with this breed to NOT breed siblings. You would be wise to look for stock from a different source to breed with your current birds.

 

[Johnny Kool]

Mine are from gff. Has anyone else imported them or should i just look for a cousin essentially to breed with them?

 

[KYTinpusher]

Mine are from gff. Has anyone else imported them or should i just look for a cousin essentially to breed with them?

As far as I know, the only ones in this country that are available were imported by GFF. They imported two different lines. If yours are directly from GFF, and recently, they are probably from the new import line. I would look for someone who has some stock from the original import line to breed them to. You can PM me if you would like some suggestions.

 

[Johnny Kool]

I figured they crossed the lines since mine have both dark and light eyes

 

[KYTinpusher]

I figured they crossed the lines since mine have both dark and light eyes

According to their website, they did not cross the 2 lines and they no longer have the original line.

 

[Johnny Kool]

So they're basically inbreeding the second imports?

 

[KYTinpusher]

So they're basically inbreeding the second imports?

And this surprises you?

 

[Johnny Kool]

Yeah. I would have crossed the 2 lines and brodened the gene pool. Who knows how inbred the flock was before they even imported it. My swedish flower bust outta their eggs with avengence haha and the isbar barely wanna pip. Im guessing they're just weak like yokohamas