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Keeping records of your flock

A ‘paper trail’ or informal pedigree. Please, it is highly recommended that owners keep good records in order to trace their birds back to reputable breeders or importers and provide that information to new owners if selling or giving away stock or hatching eggs.

Records should ideally be kept of all eggs or stock sold and to whom.

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What weight do they dress out at?

As medium sized chicken their carcass dress weight for roosters butchered at four to six months is around two to two and a half pounds; hens are smaller. They are great as a soup stock bird, not a great dual purpose fowl, the meat has excellent flavor. It is best cooked longer at a lower temperature using a moist cooking method, such as "coq au vin." Many cooks then pull meat from the bone and use it in casseroles, enchiladas, etc.  

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What characteristics or physical traits should be culled*?

Aggressive roosters _with hens or humans; shank fuzz or feathering; fray feathering; sex-linked barring** as seen in barred rocks should be culled. It could be a sign of a mixed breed bird, but some autosomal*** barring is acceptable. Also, some barred feathers in young juveniles is acceptable as their interim molt camouflage coloring. Overly sexually aggressive cocks/roosters; consistently misshapen eggs; poor broodiness in hens or poor mothering skills; any traits that could be perceived as a genetic deformity -- are all traits that could be culled for. 

 

Note: artificial incubation can cause toe curl or other foot and leg deformities. These are not genetic. There are ways to fix toe curl in chicks  

*Culled means removal from the breeding pool, either by butchering, exclusion, or selling as a barnyard fowl (not as a pure Icelandic).

**Autosomal is any non-sex chromosome. It is a dominant pattern gene, responsible for plumage patterns, including non-sex linked (autosomal) barring.

** Sex-linked barring is the result of a single gene. This gene is located on the sex-chromosome -- hence the name. It causes a white barring pattern on the feather. The Barred Plymouth Rock shows an example of this gene's expression. Historically this gene has not been observed in the Icelandic landrace, therefore its presence could indicate non-Icelandic genetics. However, autosomal barring is acceptable in the Icelandic and is often observed. Autosomal barring, sometimes called "parallel penciling," is simply non-sex linked barring. Examples of this type barring can be seen in the Campine, Brakel and Hamburg breeds. At least four genes working together are responsible for producing this pattern. The width of the barring may vary. The poor autosomal barring often observed on the backs and wings of young birds is known as protective juvenile coloration. This generally fades with the adult plumage unless modifying genes are present.

– Lyle Behl