Farm Icelandic chickens!! Or other free-range hardy breeds?

BadMedicine

BadMedicine

Would *I* Lie???
A coworker gave us a little icelandic chicken that she thought was a roo. Has 1" spurs which are pretty long because she is only a 1/3 sized chicken with very flat laying feathers and a slim tall build, like a road runner. She started laying eggs at about 6 months and is a fast little sucker! she easily pops in and out of the 4" holes in the wire fence so even though she lives with the other chickens and ducks she free ranges most of the time and until recently was sleeping on a deck rail outside of the hutch. I have watched her forage and I am sure she 100% feeds herself- or is capable of it anyways. History in to the breed is pretty fascinating- an isolated landrace in Iceland for 1000+ years, from about the 900's... This one by weight is about 1/3 the size of normal chickens but gives eggs about 2/3's the size of normal... which is a pretty decent/normal sized egg. My farm eggs average larger than store bought.

I want more of these chickens! Feed themselves, evade predators and good layers! Also says they are good broody hens and good mothering instincts- basically farmstead chickens!

They are considered rare and I found 6 eggs for $50 online - yikes! But there are conservation groups and FB that I'm sure you could source a few from.

Anyone have experience with this breed or currently raising them?

Anyone know of any VERY GOOD at foraging/ evading predators chickens? That would be good for free ranging in several acres? I'm thinking about raising some hatchlings at the camp property and mostly just having some places they can escape in to and get food and water, but mostly free range on bugs and the like.

Any other exceptional breeds for this? I know guinnea fowl are great for bugs, but aren't great for cold or not wondering away. Looking for some real self-sufficient chickens that I can "STUN"(Sheer, Total, Utter Neglect) grow in to a respectable foraging flock!

TIA!
 
O

Old Gray Mare

TB Fanatic
I like Buff Orpingtons chickens. Never had one of those roo's attack me. Excellent layers. Occasionally had a hen disappear into the brush and turn up later with a clutch of chicks. Still had to feed them. They were free range and did an outstanding job of bug control outside the house. Very rarely did we ever find a tick on the dogs. I also had geese to help keep the hawks off them. Hawks still picked off a chick now and then. Having cover they can duck under quick in case of hawks is important.

I mixed my own feed, a combination of: soy meal, corn and oats. In summer they got whatever bugs they could catch, weeds for forage, canning, garden and kitchen scrapes. In winter it was down to feed and scrapes. Take access to feed in at night. Chickens roost and don't eat at night, rats and mice do. If the egg shells got weak I supplemented with crushed oyster shell. Hope this is helpful.
 
adgal

adgal

Veteran Member
I found this information here : Frequently Asked Questions About Icelandic Chickens

Breeders can be found, on the Icelandic Chicken Facebook page. Pinned to the top of the page. They can also be found on Breeders and the Mother Earth News article Icelandic Chickens: A Heritage Chicken Breed for Modern Homesteads – Mother Earth News

ETA:
Where to go for more Info?
We have a very active Facebook page and The Official Group for the Icelandic Landrace Chicken (also known as Landnámshænan). It can be found here:
Icelandic Chickens (landnámshænan) Official Preservation Organization | Facebook
Read their mission statment here:

Mission:
We seek to preserve the unique traits and genetic characteristics of the Icelandic Landrace Chicken (also known as Landnámshænan) in its purest form, and to educate and mentor those wishing to breed and/or maintain preservation flocks. As such, this is the go-to location of the most trusted breeders for those wishing to acquire pure, uncontaminated stock.
 
M

mecoastie

Veteran Member
They are the "it" chicken right now for all the "homesteaders" to have and are pushed and marketed as such. Just about any of the old breeds of chickens will do similar things. It wasnt that long ago that most chickens got little supplemental feed. They gave fewer eggs and werent as meaty but they took care of themselves.
 
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poppy

Veteran Member
I have the Rural King Breed. Sort of special because you never know what they are until they grow up. They keep them in about a dozen livestock water tanks with labels telling what they are. They put signs up telling people to not pick up the chicks but I see kids carrying them around, and when they leave they just put them in whatever tank they're by. Some of the help in not top notch either. Last year I bought 14 Golden Comets for eggs. and 11 were Golden Comets, one was a mystery breed that only laid double yolk eggs but died after about 4 months of laying, and 2 that look exactly like Welsummers but lay blue and pink eggs. This year I bought ten 'red sex links' that are just starting to lay. Two of those also look like Welsummers but lay olive green eggs. The other 10 are much bigger than sex links and are New Hampshire Reds.











golden Comets
 
M

Mushroom

Opinionated Granny
My son had some chickens that took care of themselves. They were an old Dutch breed similar to what you described. They crossed with his Buff Orpingtons and he said the crosses were some of the best chickens he ever raised. Trooped over to the horse pasture and fed themselves then trooped back to sleep on the henhouuse roof. Foxes finally got them all. He said if he gets a chance, he will do them again.
 
W

WalknTrot

Veteran Member
Leghorns are actually pretty fast, spooky, wild things when left to free range. They are light enough to fly, cheap and easy to find, and lay like gangbusters. They won't raise replacement chicks for ya though.

My theory on free range is eventually they end up a free meal for something, but if I'm gonna lose birds. I like to lose cheap birds. Haha...this game cam pic from my place, early yesterday morning down next to the barnyard not 100 feet from the coop.


DSCF0171.JPG
 
Tristan

Tristan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Mushroom said:
My son had some chickens that took care of themselves. They were an old Dutch breed similar to what you described. They crossed with his Buff Orpingtons and he said the crosses were some of the best chickens he ever raised. Trooped over to the horse pasture and fed themselves then trooped back to sleep on the henhouuse roof. Foxes finally got them all. He said if he gets a chance, he will do them again.
Click to expand...


If he gets the chance, maybe he should do the foxes first...

;)
 
West

West

Senior
We've had great luck with the Brown Leghorns free ranging.

Brown20Leghorn2041.jpg


Our favorite though are the Bantums..

0afa0583ad86c1d750f0bcdaa526a114--bantam-chickens-image-search.jpg



Yes many of our ladies are a cross. Great birds.

They really blend in in our area, and just all around good birds, who fend for them selves and are real survivalist in our flock.
 
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paxsim2

paxsim2

Senior Member
My bantam leg horn is 15 this year. She's tough and smart, raised many chick's including two clutches of 7 each this year. My sister has her now she's lived with her the last few years.
 
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philkar

Veteran Member
BadMedicine said:
A coworker gave us a little icelandic chicken that she thought was a roo. Has 1" spurs which are pretty long because she is only a 1/3 sized chicken with very flat laying feathers and a slim tall build, like a road runner. She started laying eggs at about 6 months and is a fast little sucker! she easily pops in and out of the 4" holes in the wire fence so even though she lives with the other chickens and ducks she free ranges most of the time and until recently was sleeping on a deck rail outside of the hutch. I have watched her forage and I am sure she 100% feeds herself- or is capable of it anyways. History in to the breed is pretty fascinating- an isolated landrace in Iceland for 1000+ years, from about the 900's... This one by weight is about 1/3 the size of normal chickens but gives eggs about 2/3's the size of normal... which is a pretty decent/normal sized egg. My farm eggs average larger than store bought.

I want more of these chickens! Feed themselves, evade predators and good layers! Also says they are good broody hens and good mothering instincts- basically farmstead chickens!

They are considered rare and I found 6 eggs for $50 online - yikes! But there are conservation groups and FB that I'm sure you could source a few from.

Anyone have experience with this breed or currently raising them?

Anyone know of any VERY GOOD at foraging/ evading predators chickens? That would be good for free ranging in several acres? I'm thinking about raising some hatchlings at the camp property and mostly just having some places they can escape in to and get food and water, but mostly free range on bugs and the like.

Any other exceptional breeds for this? I know guinnea fowl are great for bugs, but aren't great for cold or not wondering away. Looking for some real self-sufficient chickens that I can "STUN"(Sheer, Total, Utter Neglect) grow in to a respectable foraging flock!

TIA!
Click to expand...
I have welsummers that are good foragers, go broody,and are good moms. But my best scrappy breed is a black silkie. She eats only foraged food and teaches her chicks to do the same. Negative attribute…she is scrappy and not a lap chicken. Her instincts for predators is good. She will still eggs til she has a goodly number and will hatch them all.
 
patriotgal

patriotgal

Veteran Member
My bantys are good mommas and good foragers. So are the raccoons, foxes and feral dogs. Miss having a free range flock. My girls get supervised time on the outside.
 
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philkar

Veteran Member
philkar said:
I have welsummers that are good foragers, go broody,and are good moms. But my best scrappy breed is a black silkie. She eats only foraged food and teaches her chicks to do the same. Negative attribute…she is scrappy and not a lap chicken. Her instincts for predators is good. She will steal eggs til she has a goodly number and will hatch them all.
Click to expand...
 
shepherdess

shepherdess

Member
I have Icelandic chickens. I have maintained a preservation flock of Icelandics only for 8 years now. They do have a fascinating history. I enjoy, since they are a landrace, the variety of colors, patterns, and comb types I can have in one breed and flock.
They are the most hardy birds I have owned, are good layers of a small to medium white egg. They do have a tendency to become reliably broody. I have coop birds, and a barn flock, and my barn hens regularly go missing, and return a few weeks later with a clutch of 8-10 chicks.
The Icelanders call them pile chickens, since they love to scratch and forage in the manure piles. They are great for keeping down flies and pests in the barnyard. They are very cagey, wary birds, and are very alert for predators. The Roos are attentive to the hens, scratching and calling them for food, warning of danger and very protective. In all my years with Icelandics, I’ve never yet had a Roo aggressive to humans, which is a plus with children around our homestead.
 
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