Sdwd

[Cetawin]

Thank you ladies...I love it. Beth..yes the awful yellow kitchen stays until I own or at least until after you come visit.

Oh meant to tell you....remember my paranoia about the games, the nuts and Joleta? One of the Spanish horses was picked up at the Kentucky Horse Park by the transport...they found the truck and trailer 9 hours later and the horse is still missing. There is a total of $75,000 in rewards offered. So a almost 300K valued horse is just "poof". I am so glad I cannot pick Joleta up until after all this madness is over. I would absolutely go on the warpath, start tracking and shoot someone for stealing her.

I am finally feeling well enough that today I am beginning demolition of her soon to be "new stall". I shall take before pics of course...right now it is set up as a half arsed poultry confinement (which did not work for the previous owners) so I am going down with hammer, gloves and sledge hammer after I eat my lunch and beginning the demolishing.

When Spring comes, I can make it Diva worthy but right now I am making Diva Safe and functional.

By Spring she will love me as much as I love her and I can put her central ac/heat in, flat screen and hire her a manicurist to do pedicures for her and polish her hooves.

Kathy I have got to take a pic of the back of this tablecloth...she used a fabric you sent her that is dropdead gorgeous with dark roses and leaves on it.

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
They are really nice. If I was closer I would take them. Let me know if you sell eggs in the future. They're very pretty roos. How are they for layers? I'm looking for some white egg layers. Are they fliers? Would I have to keep them in a covered run/ Not that that's a problem.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
There are less than 3000 of these birds in the whole world. I hope the person that gets these will continue the project of expanding their population. It would be a shame to lose this breed. Yes, I do have them in a covered run. They like to go very high. They are a joy to watch free range.

They are a landrace fowl. Landrace refers to domesticated animals or plants adapted to the natural and cultural environment in which they live (or originated). They often develop naturally with minimal assistance or guidance from humans using traditional breeding methods. Landraces differ somewhat from what is commonly termed a breed, and usually possess more diverse phenotypes and genotypes. They often form the basis of more highly-bred formalized breeds. Landrace populations are often highly variable in appearance, but they are each identifiable morphologically and have a certain genetic integrity. Animal landraces occur in many species of domestic animals. A landrace does not imply so much a breed as a type of animal. Examples include the Norwegian Forest Cat, Shetland sheep, and Welsh Mountain sheep. Often, from within a landrace a small number of animals have been selected to found a formal pedigree breed, usually of the same name as the landrace. "Landrace" pigs (such as Danish Landrace) are breeds derived from landraces. When people select animals to create a highly consistent purebred breed, they often select for a consistent appearance rather than behavior or adaptability to a given environment. When this happens, defining characteristics of the landrace may be lost.

Anyway, the whole landrace thing is very interesting in that they aren't really a breed, but are genetically different from all others. They collected the last eggs from a small island that has been uninhabited for sixty years and the Icelandic chickens flourish there.

They were the breed of chicken in Iceland from 9AD to 1950! They are landrace breed with 22 alleles (genes), normal chickens have 24 and pheasant, grouse, parmitgines have 20.

They were nearly extinct in Iceland since the 1950's when commercial poultry producers imported breeds more conducive to egg production and eating. In the 1970's a veterinarian with the Agricultural School of Iceland single handedly saved the Icelandic chicken from extinction. Even now, there are fewer than 3,000 of these birds in the world but there is an ongoing effort to save them.

Mary had the fortune to find Sigrid and Sveinn in southern California. Iceland natives, they are passionate about preserving the chickens of their country. They have imported hatching eggs on three trips to Iceland.

These chickens were brought to Iceland by the Vikings in the 9th century AD and were found on most farms for centuries. Indeed, one of their Icelandic names -- Íslenka landnámshænan -- means "Icelandic hen of the settlers." With the advent of the commercial type chickens, by the 1950s the Icelandic breed was nearly extinct. All the birds now existing (less than 3,000) are descended from a very small group of fowl saved in the 1970s. Icelandics are quite winter-hardy and lay white eggs. This is a long-lived breed and the hens make good broodies. They are also reputed to be quite docile. They are excellent on range, and another of their Icelandic names -- Haughænsni -- means "pile chickens," due to their habit of foraging on manure piles and other places rich with insects and seeds.

There is a great variety in plumage and leg coloration, many comb types exist in the population, and some birds have feathered legs. Crests also occur frequently. The facial skin is red and ear lobes are white.

Sigrid tells that genetically Icelandic chickens are different from all other chickens and carry specific DNA. To try and breed them to a "standard" would mean eliminating some of the characteristics of these birds that make them so special. They are wonderful the way they are .

These are chickens descended from the Vikings and deserve to stay pure. I realize I can't control what happens after they leave me. I just hope I can make good decisions on where to send them. I want to do right by Sigrid and Sveinn (the original importers) and the people in Iceland working to save them. When the time comes I will be looking for people to join the cause.

Icelandic chickens have no standard coloring. Sigrid says it's like playing the lottery, you never know what you are going to get. They won't necessarily look like the parent birds. They are all so beautiful and diverse.

Sigrid wrote this a while back:

Now, about our Icelandic chickens:
I remember them on some remote farmsteads in the thirties - a small numbers foraging and taking care of themselves for most part, perching in barns and occasionally treated with leftovers the dogs did not want. They were friendly and never went far from the premises. They are social by nature and very hardy with high tolerance for harsh weather or weather changes.
They come in a rainbow of colors like all other life-stock in Iceland, horses, sheep and cows. That is what makes them all unique. Most Icelandic chickens have a crest on top of their head. Their eggs are white or slightly beige and tend to be somewhat elongated. They are good sitters. Their combs come in many variations, straight, rosecomb, etc.
The Icelandic chicken generally lives a long live. I have 3 hens ten years old and one 11 years old. I know of a 15 year old here in Iceland.
The Icelandic chicken is called Landnamshæna, (Settlers Chickens) or haughænsni, (Pile Chickens). They were brought to Iceland by the first settlers from Norway before the year 900, and were known to find something to eat in manure piles. Therefore the names. Today they are sometimes called Viking Chickens. These chickens are mentioned in the old Icelandic Sagas written around 1250. Genetic research shows them to be 78 % different form all other chickens in the world today. This is why it is important not to mix them with other breeds, once we do that, we can not get it back. Therefore we need to let them breed naturally as they always have. Nobody here in Iceland has worried about in-breeding for over a thousand years. I have had my RALA chickens in California since 1998, and started with a very few.
I have seen a number of roosters and hens together here in Iceland where they can enjoy more freedom roaming around because there are not many predators here. They seem to establish their hierarchy naturally. (There will always be a top rooster and hens tend to do that as well). So, " let nature take its course "and don't make a mess of it."

After WWII the interest in our old breed diminished when a lot of people from the countryside migrated to the City (Reykjavik) for a "better life". Egg production became commercialized using foreign breeds.
In 1974, Dr. Stefán Aðalsteinsson realized that the Landnámshænan was just about extinct. He travelled all over the country looking for Icelandic chickens and found some in remote parts of Iceland, mostly on the East Fjords and the North East part of Iceland. He brought them to RALA (Agricultural Research Center) at Keldum. They were in protection untill 1985, when they were placed at the Agricultural University at Hvanneyri. Still in protection. When I refer to my RALA chickens I am referring to those. I got my chickens from this group specifically. The original RALA group is now at 2 farms near Hvanneyri.
In 2003 there was a great promotional effort to initiate a general interest to save this breed. On Nov. 1 2003, The Landnámshæna Association with a yearly publication was established. They have now about 168 members. It is believed there are now over 2000 Icelandic chickens in Iceland. Mary O´Bryan (nurse in California) got 2 hens, Lukka and Henna, and 2 roosters from me. Lukka and Henna are RALA but the roosters are from hatching eggs from one of the members of the Association.
I brought some hatching eggs from Iceland last fall for the first time in 12 years. Their rooster came from an old stock on the remote island Flatey, current population 5. The population in the forties was about 250. I had relatives there then and visited the island so this was very meaningful for me. Around 1950 or thereafter, the island was vacant for some time. There was a monastery there in 1172 and it was the center of culture in Iceland at that time. The island is now a popular tourist place with the ferry stopping there twice a day.

 

[speckledhen]

Bandit and Blue just left for their new home! Rodeoclown1189 came down from northeast TN to get them both. I was getting way too attached to those boys.

Maxie rototilled one of my gardens today. She was ravenous for green stuff and was eating leaves off of everything. She seems quite alert, though her abdomen is still hard.

BTW, Ladyhawk, I love your table!

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
I've considered letting the guys rototill for me but with raised beds that means shoveling all the soil back into them. Lord have mercy. It's been so wet that I'm keeping them in the runs and plan to eprinex them tomorrow. They do a number on the slugs though i expect. I can't see them in the dirt but I suspect they can.

Kathi- if I could get those Icelandics I would. I don't hatch just anything. I bought a crate awhile ago and it would lend itself to making a nice trio coop. I've had it covered til the right idea of how to convert it to a coop would hit me. Well it did today just to late in the year.

Take care
Rancher

 

[Serrin]

Kathy!! Kathy!! KATHY!!! I finally have some great news regarding little Mama EE and her daughters! We're just about ready! We have just about a days worth of work left to go yet on the coop issues and then we'll be ready for these fine ladies. Denny looked at the picture of Mama with her two darling daughters tucked under her and I think he fell in love on the spot!!

Hey! What's not to love about a mama EE and two half Del daughters!!?!?!

Anyhow, how about sending them any time after the 24th of this month. That way we'll be done with deer season and Elk season will still be a couple of more weeks down the road. I'd hate to be in the middle of gutting out Bambi's Daddy way the heck out in the back country, and get a call from the Post Office to come pick up my new babies NOW!

That could take a bit of the shine off of new chickens for Denny, ya know?!

Ooohh! I'm just so excited!! I can hardly wait to have those beautiful little ladies in my possession!

The next week or so is going to just drag by, hunting season or no hunting season! I'm gonna be on pins and needles until they get here!

Thanks again Kathy for letting me have them. I promise, they'll never want for anything for as long as they shall live!

OK, on to a hunting progress report. I just love having hunting grounds so close to home that we can return every night, get a good hot shower, eat a great meal and sleep in our own bed! Priceless.

The morning hunt produced the sighting of only one white tail doe. We're after Mule deer first and foremost and it must be a buck of no less than three points on a side. Anything less is illegal.

But the countryside more than made up for the lack of animals. I'll post some pictures later next week. Some of the terrain was absolutely breath taking!

The evening hunt was much more productive. We saw five Muley bucks, two of which were probably shooters, but because of that darn restriction, and the fact that we couldn't see them well enough to pull the trigger, we had to pass on them. We're hoping that the morning hunt will provide more excitement, now that we've zeroed in on where they're hiding!

None of the deer ever saw or winded us, so hopefully, they will remain calm in that area and make themselves available tomorrow! **Insert snerky grin here**

So, that's it in a nutshell for now. I'm heading to bed dear friends. 4AM comes ridiculously early you know! I hope everyone has a lovely Sunday.

 

[Cetawin]

SnowHunter...Remember me giving you the Dellie warnings? Remember me carefully explaining about their knack and need to get into everything including your lap? Okay..well here ya go, these are for you...

I was trying to squat down and take pics of my Blue Orp boy Lancelot to update everyone on his growth and such...well now, that becomes darn near impossible with a Dellie or two on the loose.

Meet Cannonball... yes that is my knee in the picture

So I manage to snap a couple of pics of Lancelot and Ebony ....

when suddenly I hear the distinct sound of my porch swing....

again...Cannonball is the culprit...a Dellie Notice in this pic of my current flock rooster, Severus...behind him is a Dellie, Fattie, sneaking by to go find something to get into while her half sister is terrorizing my porch swing. Poor Severus was not in control of the women, he has never had control of them...that was Thor's job, one he did well. This mayhem did not occur when Thor was here and in charge...pfffffttttt

Everyone else is being good of course... DeDe the Sumo Kung Fu chicken whose latest feat was to steal a huge sausage dog from the bun and successfully eat 3/4 of it without suffering heartburn...was doing chicken stuff in the shade

Luna was strolling around looking for a nice special place to drop and roll

everyone else was behaving themselves and doing safe good chicken things...

so...again I give you the warning...Dellies are a force not to be ignored....

I gave up trying to regain control and went to visit Sarah (scbatz33) for a couple of hours...here are some cute pics from that visit...

Little Dory coming to check out the camera

Little Soapy visiting the child human

My old girl Zen checking out the new camera

Zen lowering herself to let the child human touch her

A funny moment....Sarah and I went into the shed to get their feed in their buckets and Zen watches the process with happy intent of her bucket coming and then little miss Soapy aka miss nosey decided she needed to oversee the process

She came all the way in and I had to step outside and let Sarah battle the foal into turning around and finding the door to go out.

Needless to say this activity did not phase Zen who calmly followed me and her bucket to the feeding area. hahahaha

For an old gal, Zen has some fire left as the doofus puppy almost found out...Dixie decided to run behind Zen snappy and growling playfully and fortunately for doofus puppy...she saw this and moved away fast

the doofus:

The Precious:

Fred, the guard goose

 

[Serrin]

LH, those are all great photos! I love Cannonball! You can send her to me any time you tire of her unruly antics!

No, seriously, I mean it! I like to encourage inrageous outsanity with my animals! It lets their inner chick/puppy/kitten come out to play! Nothing dangerous mind you, just good natured fun! So pack up her little chicken traveling duds and send her on up here. I guarantee she'll have an excellent time!

I know what y'all are asking yourselves right about now: What the heck is Amy doing up at this hour???

I'm up because dear grand daughter Annie just about gave herself a panic attack because the Internet was momentarily out of commission. It's a fairly rare occurrence out here, but it does happen. This time it just so happened to coincide with the exact moment she was trying to submit her weekly assignments for two of her college courses. She had even tried to send them via my computer out here in the pump house with zero success on that front as well. So, naturally, Annie being Annie, with her obsession for meeting deadlines, went into complete nuclear melt down, crying hysterically all the way from the pump house and back into the house. Loudly crying! Which in turn, woke me out of a sound sleep

Don't think that I'm not sympathetic to my DGD folks. Far from it. It's just that at 12:00 in the morning, with only another 4 hours of sleep left to me, I tend to loose my sense of humor. Especially as I know I'm probably NOT going to be getting back to sleep any time soon!

Had I but known this is what was going to greet me on the Sunday side of the clock, I would have spent a little more time on the Mission Statement instead of trying to squirt it off to Beth before going to bed!

Awww Crap! Well, I needed to use the ladies room anyway.

Sorry for the rant kids. I now return y'all to our regularly scheduled SDWD. Again, I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday. I know I will.....if I can just get back to sleep soon!

ETA: Obviously the Internet is back up and running for us out here. As soon as I got dressed and came out to the pump house to check on it, everything was just fine and dandy and right as rain. Figures, don't it? Out just long enough to screw everything up royally! *Insert irked expression here* And the fact that I forgot to include that little item in the first posting should be adequate proof of my lack of sleep and the ability to think clearly!

 

[kathyinmo]

LadyHawk,
I love your pictures! They all look wonderful and happy. Lancelot and Ebony have grown SO MUCH! They look great!

You, Cheyenne, and Sarah just get to have so much fun out there. Do you all go riding often?

Amy .... anytime, just let me know the best date. No problem at all.

 

[speckledhen]

Lance is looking great! And Ebony...another Suede daughter. Love all the pictures! How was the movie?