Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[SunnySkies]

Ok, I actually got a really good look at mine yesterday, as I had time to sit and watch them, and I gave them some corn to peck at to keep them still. One girl, 5 boys from my first lot. The second are all still too young to tell.

Suppose I could build a pen for her and rotate each boy in there every few months, as long as she lays, and keep the boys in a bachelor flock free ranging to at least get some half siblings. She is a pretty thing. Nikon still has my camera -- it's been in parts hold there for.ever (I suspect they are mining the metal and them making parts in China) -- but I'll see if I can get a photo or two today.

 

[Spifflove]

I'll be happy to ship you some of my eggs, maybe we can trade off....I can pretty much guarantee you'll get a bunch of blacks. These are Greenfire birds. I plan to be breeding for many years, so keep it in mind.

Ok I will! I don't have an incubator atm but who knows what the future holds?

 

[uphilljill]

Looks like we have one crested out of our 4 SFH chicks (18-days-old.) Love it's little mohawk.

 

[TarheelBirdy]

Looks like we have one crested out of our 4 SFH chicks (18-days-old.) Love it's little mohawk.

I love the baby crests.

 

[LauraNJ]

Love the crest!

Did the crest just develop or has the chick always had it? Trying to learn more and not much info on the SFH.

Neither of our 2 chicks looks to have a crest and I assumed they would hatch with a little tuft. Mine are just 5 days old.

 

[uphilljill]

Love the crest!

Did the crest just develop or has the chick always had it? Trying to learn more and not much info on the SFH.

Neither of our 2 chicks looks to have a crest and I assumed they would hatch with a little tuft. Mine are just 5 days old.

I thought the would hatch with a little tuft too, but none of mine did. Very happy when I finally saw the crest starting on this one at about 2 weeks old. Give them some time.

 

[SunnySkies]

Nikon finally sent my camera back! I have photos!

My oldest and the only bird to survive my first and only SFH hatch. One committed suicide by sleeping outside, the other was slaughtered for aggression. This is Olympus.

Some of the February babies as well as most of the newest bunch. All originated from Greenfire except one in these photos (the one that seems to be smaller than the February birds yet larger than the chicks; that one is the only survivor of some SFH eggs sent to my local BYCer friend through a swap and is much, much smaller than he should be)

To describe this set up.....I have a Pawhut coop purchased in a oh-no-I-need-a-coop-NOW moment. TBH, I am very happy with it as a grow out coop. But what you see here with the chicken wire is a temporary and portable pen I build around it to keep the younger birds in and the older birds out so they all learn to get along. Then I integrate everyone and they all free range in their little groups harmoniously (I never have fights). . So that is why you see some of what you see. I know it's not "secure" to use chicken wire, but it's a day pen, and we are home 95% of the time. But that is why the T posts aren't driven all the way....I need to pull them up daily to move everything to fresh grass. We have done this multiple times...it works great.

I am working on getting a BIG coop now for all my SFH, trying to convince my husband to let me hire out the building of it versus DIY, as we just don't have time between mowing, working on selling our other house, and work.

ETA: and yeah, I fixed that knocked over waterer...those silly babies in the front jumped on top as I was taking photos and knocked it over. They are getting too big. I bought a new and bigger waterer for this bunch, now that they are growing up (sniff). They also graduated to a trough feeder. The grow so fast.

 

[SunnySkies]

I really love this photo of Olympus.

And somehow I caught this spectacular photo of Phelps, the one I slaughtered for aggression. I loved his deep red color. Too bad he was such a jerk.

 

[KYTinpusher]

Beautiful photos, and chickens, of course!

The recent ricin scares in DC have me thinking that the detection procedures of such substances might have something to do with the poor hatch rates on some eggs sent through the sorting centers in that area. Hmmmm.... SO, how much trouble do you think it would stir up if I went to my PO and started asking questions about all the screening procedures that they have in place and asking for recommendations to protect my packages from those screenings?

 

[ChickNmamma]

Beautiful photos, and chickens, of course!

The recent ricin scares in DC have me thinking that the detection procedures of such substances might have something to do with the poor hatch rates on some eggs sent through the sorting centers in that area. Hmmmm.... SO, how much trouble do you think it would stir up if I went to my PO and started asking questions about all the screening procedures that they have in place and asking for recommendations to protect my packages from those screenings?

... With your job I wouldn't dare - they might think you were a terrorist or something.... NOT understanding how us chicken people feel about our chickens' hatching eggs!