The Icelandic Genetic Resource Council in Agriculture
Poultry
Origin and history
The so-called settlement chickens are descendants of a group of chickens collected around Iceland during 1974-1975. The group was collected in order to try to save the remains of the chicken breed brought here with the settlers. Not much research work has been done on the genetic makeup of the population, but this is likely to change in near future.
Breeding work
No organized records exist for the settlement chicken. Recently, an organization was established for owners and breeders of the population (The Owners and Breeders Organization of the Icelandic Settlement Chicken). The organization has brought about general interest in the population through e.g. exhibitions of the birds, which are very colorful and generally different in their looks.
Value
Information on numbers of the chickens is scarce. It can be assumed that the Owner’s and Breeding Organization have increased interest in the breed in recent years.
