Olive Eggers vs Isbars: Which Breed is Better?

[Eelantha]

You can get Isbar eggs or straight run Isbar chicks at Omega Hills Farm in Mississippi. Here's the website: http://omegahillsfarm.com/product-category/isbar/
I'd go for the Isbar myself, but they are expensive to buy! Big decision you have.

Thank you for the link!

Whether it's the English Marans or the Isbar, either way the decision is pricey because they are both renowed birds in their own rights. However where I have managed to find (after many efforts and at least two sleepless nights) one canadian hatchery that sells Isbars, I still haven't found one that sold English Marans, so if nothing works I'll check up the Isbars and will have to do with second place in dark brown eggs with either a Welsummer or a Barnevelder. I've yet to hear back from Cackle Hatchery over the question of being able or not to ship beyond US borders, so it looks like plan C is the best option for my chicken coop xD

 

[Eelantha]

I don’t and as stated before the feathering isn’t all that bad you might be ok with them. I would love to help you out but I don’t know about getting things across the border. My birds are Greenfire Farms as well

I think I'll be okay if French Black Copper Marans are on my hit-list, it's popularity followed it all the way into Quebec and it's spread everywhere. I can get BCM eggs by mail from a breeder just hours away from me if I want this particular breed Thank you for proposing though! It's really nice <3

 

[Eelantha]

There are other people who sell Isbars other than GFF if you would like to pursue that option for a much lower cost.

I’ve got someone who is sending me some Isbar hatching eggs (that came from GFF) here in the for sale section of this site (BYC).

You can also do internet searches and find Isbars for sale.

I haven't found any local breeder yet (I've not yet checked the sales section of the site, as I haven't got the hang of how to properly use BYC's searching feature), but I found between many American hatcheries a Canadian hatchery that did sell Isbar eggs and chicks on google : http://www.breezybirdfarms.com/Silverudd-Blue-Isbar.php
(... I almost passed over the add, mistaking it for an American Hatchery when I saw the title the first time around. Geez, that one was a hard find.)

The shipping costs are pricey for Quebecan customers though, I dunno if it's like this with USA shippings too but in Canadian Dollars it makes the Isbars quite the costly birds xP

I think the sales section is overdue with my visit. I'll go give it a peek soon, see what I can find there. I definitely want to view all possibilities before making my choice. Thank you for the tips!

 

[el aguila]

Here are a couple

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-hona-cemani-araucana-isbar-brabanter.847563/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...t-import-hatching-eggs.1203353/#post-19073296

 

[TeeMom]

I have mixed feelings on my isbars. It may just be my individual birds. They came from a breeder that I now don't entirely trust (for other reasons I won't go into). I ordered isbars from her along with BCM and a couple other breeds. She admitted to me that she was struggling with fertility on the isbars and that the chicks weren't very thrifty, but I bought 3 from her anyway, though they were definitely unthrifty. They were fighters, though and all 3 made it to adulthood and are still part of my flock. BUT, they really are not pretty birds. I've seen pictures of others that are much more appealing, but these 3 are just so scraggly and always look like they're molting. I have 20 chickens and they're the only ones that look like this and are 2 years old now. That being said they are tiny and lay very large eggs for their size and lay them very consistently. I love the personalities of the BCM and as others have said, their legs are very lightly feathered and have never noticed any issues when it's been wet and cold, though we get very little snow here. My olive eggers we've bred here are delightful and I love the mix of colors and traits. I think I've firmly settled on just keeping the mixed flock going and I won't do isbars again. Just thought I would share my experiences.

 

[mixedbreeds]

I have mixed feelings on my isbars. It may just be my individual birds. They came from a breeder that I now don't entirely trust (for other reasons I won't go into). I ordered isbars from her along with BCM and a couple other breeds. She admitted to me that she was struggling with fertility on the isbars and that the chicks weren't very thrifty, but I bought 3 from her anyway, though they were definitely unthrifty. They were fighters, though and all 3 made it to adulthood and are still part of my flock. BUT, they really are not pretty birds. I've seen pictures of others that are much more appealing, but these 3 are just so scraggly and always look like they're molting. I have 20 chickens and they're the only ones that look like this and are 2 years old now. That being said they are tiny and lay very large eggs for their size and lay them very consistently. I love the personalities of the BCM and as others have said, their legs are very lightly feathered and have never noticed any issues when it's been wet and cold, though we get very little snow here. My olive eggers we've bred here are delightful and I love the mix of colors and traits. I think I've firmly settled on just keeping the mixed flock going and I won't do isbars again. Just thought I would share my experiences.

That’s to bad you had such a bad batch of icebar the ones I have are great and real nice birds they did come straight from Greenfire so they haven’t been messed up mine are very healthy.

 

[Kris5902]

Did you find a Canadian Isbar supplier? I got mine from WestCoast Farms (B.C.) and am quite happy with them, they aren’t laying yet (12weeks). I realize this is an old thread, but would love to know what you decided on?