Icelandic chicken
Encyclopedia
Icelandic chickens are a breed
of chicken
from Iceland
. Called íslenska hænan, Haughænsni or landnámshænan in the Icelandic language
, they are a landrace
fowl which are rare outside its native country. They are an old breed of chicken, having been present on the island since introduction by Norse
settlers in the 9th century. However, despite this isolation, the breed has barely survived in a pure form in the 21st century, largely due to the importation of commercial strains of chickens in the 1950s. The few thousand Icelandic chickens in existence today are the result of conservation efforts in the 1970s; a handful of flocks have been exported abroad.
Icelandic chickens are not firmly standardized in appearance, and possess a wide range of plumage colours and patterns, skin colouration and comb
types. Some have feather crests.
Despite this variance in appearance, Icelandic chickens are uniformly hardy in winter, have white earlobes, and lay white to light brown coloured eggs. They are also said to be docile in temperament, and hens will readily go broody.
Breed
A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...
of chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
from Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. Called íslenska hænan, Haughænsni or landnámshænan in the Icelandic language
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
, they are a landrace
Landrace
A landrace is a local variety of a domesticated animal or plant species which has developed largely by natural processes, by adaptation to the natural and cultural environment in which it lives. It differs from a formal breed which has been bred deliberately to conform to a particular standard...
fowl which are rare outside its native country. They are an old breed of chicken, having been present on the island since introduction by Norse
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
settlers in the 9th century. However, despite this isolation, the breed has barely survived in a pure form in the 21st century, largely due to the importation of commercial strains of chickens in the 1950s. The few thousand Icelandic chickens in existence today are the result of conservation efforts in the 1970s; a handful of flocks have been exported abroad.
Icelandic chickens are not firmly standardized in appearance, and possess a wide range of plumage colours and patterns, skin colouration and comb
Comb (anatomy)
Anatomically, a comb is a fleshy growth, caruncle, or crest on the top of the head of gallinaceous birds, most notably turkeys, pheasants, and domestic chickens...
types. Some have feather crests.
Despite this variance in appearance, Icelandic chickens are uniformly hardy in winter, have white earlobes, and lay white to light brown coloured eggs. They are also said to be docile in temperament, and hens will readily go broody.