VIKING CHICKENS
    In November, 2003 I was among the group of 12 North American Icelandic Sheep breeders attending the AI Seminar in Iceland.

     Before leaving for Iceland I expressed an interest in bringing back hatching eggs of the Old Icelandic Chicken Race.  Mundi of Southram offered to look into the matter.  He was able to make the necessary contacts and acquire the proper health certificates.  I was then instructed to apply for an import permit. 

  When the AI seminar concluded I left Iceland with 3 dozen hatching eggs.  Eleven baby chicks hatched in December 2003. 

  All 11 chicks survived to adulthood – 7 hens and 4 roosters.  On May 7, 2004 the first Icelandic egg was laid.  All 7 hens proved to be good layers.  Most of the eggs they produced were set under broody hens or placed in an incubator for hatching.  The first hatching was from a broody hen that produced 13 chicks from 15 eggs.  Many more chicks were hatched throughout the summer and most survived even with our resident Cooper’s hawk enjoying several chicken dinners.  When the Icelandic hens finally went broody I allowed them to set and raise their babies.  They proved to be very good setters and mothers.  The colors and color combinations are incredible and many have feather caps or crests.   In 2005 eggs were available by US mail and chicks and/or adults were picked up at the farm.

  Eggs are available by US mail and chicks and/or adults can be picked up at the farm.    

In 2010 I hatched eggs from the 1998 Importation of Icelandic Chickens eggs.  Sigrid Thordarson in California imported eggs from the Agricultural Research Center in Iceland that was responsible for saving the Icelandic chicken from extinction.  This line has the rare blue color (as in Blue Andalusian) which produces blacks and splashes besides blues.  Starting in 2012 I will have a limited amout of eggs from this line available.  At this point they may only be available in combination with eggs from the 2003 importation. 

                                     ** Fray and the 2003 Importation**

It has been brought to my attention that a feather structure variation has surfaced in the 2003 Icelandic Chicken Importation.  Because I made that importation, I want to address this situation.  I will describe the condition and then add my comments.

It is not a disease, but an abnormality referred to as "fray."  Fray (fr) is known to be a mutation that diminishes feather quality.  Fray is a simple autosomal recessive gene that affects mostly flight and tail feathers and is characterized by a frayed appearance of these feathers.  There is considerable variation in expression of the character and in extreme cases the body feathers are lacking in smoothness.  However in most instances the condition is noted only in the tail and wing feathers.  Birds with fray in the less extreme condition may appear nearly normal.  (Reference:  "A Heritable Variation of Feather Structure in the Fowl" by D.C. Warren, Kansas State College).

Fray has never been observed in the 2003 flock here at Behl Farm.  Therefore it was necessary to contact several individuals who had obtained stock from me and still had that line.  Interestingly several of those individuals had never encountered the trait.  However there were some who had observed it in their flocks and those I asked to tell me about their experiences with it.  One was not aware of what the condition was, but had culled the birds with frayed feathers.  Another had not culled, but did not use those birds for breeding.  Basically the responses were that this fray condition was not seen as much of a problem, but more as a distinctive, but uncommon, trait observed in a rare breed.  Rare breeds, like Icelandics, are few in number, have a limited gene pool and therefore present an opportunity for recessive traits to surface.  Additionally, none of the responders planned to eliminate the 2003 line from their breeding programs.  Most felt it was something to watch for and cull if it shows up -- just like any other undesirable trait.  

Icelandics are the oldest known breed and this ancient gene pool should be treasured and preserved.  I plan to continue breeding the 2003 line as I have in the past and making it available to anyone wanting to join this preservation effort.  I hope others will accept the 2003 Importation as it is:  diverse, unique and beautiful.  

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