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Just thought I'd share some data from my first successful SFH hatch back in March. Hatch rate 79% (11 of 14 fertile eggs hatched). Humidity first 7 days: 35%. Humidity days 8 to 19: 22 to 27%. Humidity during the hatch: 65%, with spikes as chicks hatched. Egg weight loss between the date...

Very pretty! Assuming they're all the same age, it looks like you've got a cockerel (the crested one), a pullet (flesh colored legs), and a probable pullet. I'd estimate 7-9 weeks old.

The larger, darker chick looks like a pullet. The bars on the feathers are not very prominent, the legs have a dark wash all the way down to the toes, and there is some dark pigment in the beak. The other, smaller chick appears to be feathering like a cockerel, with prominent white bars on the...

Congratulations! I just had one of my dominique hens hatch out some SFH chicks for me. A good broody is worth her weight in gold! Put some regular chicken feed, some scratch, and some water near the nest but far enough out of reach that she'll have to get off the nest to access it...

This is just a guess, but the comb seems pretty prominent already at 4 days of age, so I'm guessing a cockerel.

I have a hard time determining the sex of my SFH chicks until they're about 7 or 8 weeks old. If you end up with a rooster it's good to have a plan in advance. Unfortunately, even with rare breed roosters like SFH it's sometimes difficult to give them away let alone sell them. However...

Thank you. This is very helpful. I suspected that at least in some cases, the spurs would continue to grow and become sharp. This could be an issue for a broody hen, in that it would increase the risk of breaking eggs. I'll have to do some digging into the genetics to find out how it's...

I don't have a decent camera, so I wouldn't be able to get you a close-up shot of the spurs. None of my other SFH pullets are developing these spur bumps, so it seemed odd to see them on this one female. In your experience, do the spur bumps stay very small, even in SFH that are 2+ years old?

Has anyone ever had a female SFH with spurs? If so, how large do they get? Are they passed on to their female offspring? One of my SFH pullets is 10 months old and has a 0.25-inch long spur developing on each leg. She has flesh-colored legs and has always had a very pointy tail. I really...

Thanks!

For those of you who have successfully hatched out SFH eggs using a broody hen, could you please provide some details on what to use for the nest material? With respect to other breeds of chickens, I've heard of folks cutting out a piece of sod and putting it soil side up for the base of the...

My hens of other breeds tend to do this, but my SFH seem intent upon finding the most secluded places possible to lay eggs. I just found 19 SFH eggs on top of hay bales in the barn. I'm not quite sure how they made it the 15 feet to the top of the bales. Clever girls.

Thanks!

This is very helpful! Would you happen to have a good picture example of what you mean by "pinched tails" vs. "non-pinched tails". I'm not exactly sure what you mean. Also, is there an age by which cockerels tend to manifest any people-aggressive traits? I have a SFH that lays very...

It's my understanding that large crests like this happen when crested x crested birds are mated. It's generally considered a bad idea to breed crested x crested as it results in very large crests and sometimes vaulted skulls, both of which compromise survival (especially of free-ranging birds)...

For me, one of the biggest selling points for SFH was people-friendly roosters. But so far, I'm disappointed. My 1-year-old SFH rooster challenged me to the point he was ready to launch at me. I kicked him and he came back at me again like he was going to flog me. After being booted a second...

If I'm seeing the photo correctly, it looks like there's a bit of a greenish sheen to the black feathers on her back. That, combined with the black legs, suggests she is part black australorp.

In living in PA now, but I grew up in SW Michigan (Wyoming).

I have some 1-week old SFH chicks and 3-week old dominique chicks in the coop. Daytime temps are in the 50s to 60s, night time temps are 40 to 45. They have a Sweeter Heater panel to keep them warm, but they also spend time running around in the ambient temperatures - tough little chicks! The...

Sorry to hear about your loss of SFH last year. At least I've only lost "regular" chickens so far. If I had lost either of my two SFH, I would have been really upset. They do seem more bold, intelligent, and wild than the other breeds I have. They love to forage, and the hen would much...