If you’re searching for a unique breed of chicken to raise that produces a good quality and quantity of eggs, as well as making a good pet, then the Isbar chicken might be the best choice for your needs.
This delightful creature is a relatively new breed of chicken; this delightful creature lays up to five speckled, green-tinted eggs a week at the high range. If given the proper care and nutrition, this breed lays eggs year-round.
If you’re wondering if this breed is the right choice for your farm, we’ll go into some facts, uses, the origins of this chicken, and more below to help you decide.
Quick Facts about Isbar Chicken
| Breed Name: | Isbar chicken |
| Place of Origin: | Sweden |
| Uses: | Eggs |
| Rooster (Male) Size: | 5.5 pounds |
| Hen (Female) Size: | 4.5 pounds |
| Color: | Black, Blue, and Splash |
| Lifespan: | 5 to 10 years (Average life of chickens) |
| Climate Tolerance: | Good, great in the cold |
| Care Level: | Easy |
| Production: | 5 eggs a week in the high range |
| Optional: | N/A |
Isbar Chicken Origins
The Isbar chicken originated in Sweden in the 1980s and was created by a pastor named Martin Silverudd. Silverudd created the breed by crossbreeding a New Hampshire chicken with a Rhode Island Red. His aim was to create a chicken breed that was capable of laying a large number of eggs but in different unique colors.
Isbar Chicken Characteristics
The Isbar chicken is a medium-sized bird. The male of the breed weighs in at about 5.5 pounds, while the hen tops out at around 4.5 pounds. Available in three varieties, black, blue, and splash, this chicken is docile, lively, fast, and an excellent layer.
The blue Isbar is the most popular, but it’s also the rarest and is a newer breed than the black and splash.
These hens are scrappy and forage well on their own. They’ll also produce between 200 to 230 eggs per year. The eggs usually have a greenish tint to them.
These chickens are excellent layers but aren’t great for meat production. The male does have more meat on him than the female does. However, these chickens make great and delightful pets for children and adults alike. If you’re searching for a chicken to provide eggs for the family and to be a family pet, then this is the breed for you. With eggs that come in moss green, green, and greenish-blue colors, you’ll love this chicken breed.
Uses
The Isbar chicken is used for egg production. As previously stated, these chickens are great layers, producing over 200 eggs a year if they are properly taken care of and fed the right way.
These chickens are not used for meat production, but they are super friendly and docile but do make good family pets.
Appearance & Varieties
The Isbar chicken comes in three different varieties, black, blue, and splash. We’ll tell you more about each variety below.
The black Isbar is mostly black, with some patches of white splashed across their breast, face, and wings when they are young. Once they reach adulthood, the patches go away, and they are jet black with touches of teal.
The splash variety of Isbar chicken is born with either pure or buttery white coloring. The splashing comes from the blue speckles that appear after a couple of weeks. Hens are often splash all over their bodies, while the males of the breed are usually one shade of blue instead.
The blue Isbar chicks are different shades of blue, ranging from deep indigo to light blue. Some are a more solid shade, while others have darker shades in a lace pattern on their wings, necks, or heads.
Population, Distribution & Habitat
The Isbar chicken breeds are easy to raise and can be kept on a smaller homestead as they love to forage on their own. The perfect homestead companion, this breed is good at keeping itself busy.
These birds work well in any climate but lay best in the cold. However, they are a cold-hardy breed, so they will flourish well in the northern climes.
Are Isbar Chickens Good for Small-Scale Farming?
This breed of chicken is great for small-scale farming. They’re easy to keep, forage for themselves, and don’t require a lot of attention. If you’re looking for chickens to be pets and to put eggs on the breakfast table, then you’ve found the right chicken breed to suit your needs.
Final Thoughts
This concludes our guide on the Isbar chicken. Hopefully, we’ve told you everything you need to know, and this delightful breed will make you a great pet as well as furnishing eggs for your family and your farm. If you’re looking to use them for small-scale farming, then the number of eggs they produce yearly will help you to do just that.
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Featured Image Credit: Meenimiez,Shutterstock