Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[Peep-Chicken]

I'm turning into a SFH person really quickly and I'm from MI. I hope to breed when I grow out my stock this summer. I have two nice cockerels growing out and another one who is beautiful, too, but has sprigs!!! I also have two nice hens and one crested with sprigs. These hens are great layers. I just won't breed the sprigged ones. I have 6 chicks growing out, which is fun to watch. Also I have a broody on 6 SFH eggs which were shipped. Haven't candled yet to see how they're progressing. Just this week I have 3 other hens that are broody, so I'm already scheming about getting more SFH eggs.

Peep-Chicken, where do you live in MI? I see Chicwannabe is from Munger, which I'll have to look up to see where that is.

I'm in the Commerce area.

 

[mamidei]

This is my one and only SFH. It hatched under my broody hen on March 17th. At first I was disappointed in the lack of color, but I've grown to kind of like it! Some faint colors are starting to come in (soft gray and brown). This chick is 8 weeks old. I'm thinking pullet. What does everyone think?

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[Alpine Chicken]

This is my one and only SFH. It hatched under my broody hen on March 17th. At first I was disappointed in the lack of color, but I've grown to kind of like it! Some faint colors are starting to come in (soft gray and brown). This chick is 8 weeks old. I'm thinking pullet. What does everyone think?

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I would also tend towards pullet, she´s very beautiful. I also didn´t really like my one white girl for a long while, but now that I´ve got my second generations hatching this year, I´ve noticed that a lot of the most beautiful of the bunch are from her. She can still have babies with lots of color, depending on which roo she´s with. The faint gray and brown tones will probably also increase with age. Mine now has a very pretty orange tinge to her.

 

[ChicwannaB]

Munger, I'm just a few miles south of the lowest edge of Saginaw Bay.

 

[TxFlowers]

I don't know if there IS a standard for that, like much else about the SFH, but my youngsters always start out green/blue and darken with age.

Have you seen these blue green eyes change to another color like red/yellow over time or just end up a darker blue green? Thanks!

 

[THeelChickinKY]

My green eyed Swede youngsters have stayed that way. The green didn't even get darker, just stayed a light, bright green.

 

[Sunshine0235]

Alright my SFH that I was 100% sure was a pullet is starting to worry me. You guys said she was a pullet at 7 weeks, shes on the left

And now at 13 weeks, she grew into this overnight.


'She' has about 4-5 copper feathers on her wings, but not the shoulder area which is the typical spot for copper feathers with roosters, and low on the back of the neck 'she' has some copper 'lacing' on 3-4 feathers. 'She's' also has wattles coming in. This has all happened in the last week, week and a half.

Is she a fast developing pullet, or slow developing cockerel? I've never had a pullet this age with this much comb before with all the different breeds I have had.

Well those saddle feathers that are coming in are pointy, so looks like a late developing cockerel, but even if it was a pullet, no we have to cull it and the new chicken that we put in with it two weeks ago. He has a crusty nose, which we believe is from a respiratory infection that we believe came from the new chicken and we don't want to take chances of infecting the entire flock and have to cull everything again, so we have to cull him and 7 other birds tonight. I should have some SF chicks coming in the mail this week, so all is not lost.

 

[ChicwannaB]

I'm just wondering, if breeders cull OUT the sprigged roosters isn't that tampering with the natural "variety" of the breed?? Not trying to pass judgement on the SOP or anyone who breeds for showing, but isn't the nature of this breed the fact that is CAN produce a nice variety??
another question, do pullets ever exhibit chest bumping behavior?? I've been watching one of my SFH hoping it to be a pullet, but today I saw it doing this with another chick. I KNOW the boys do this but do the girls ever do it too??

 

[ChicwannaB]

Quote: I don't know yet for sure what I might have. Looks like I MAY have a lot of roos, and if you're asking if I'd part with any , sure.

 

[minihorse927]

My pullets chest bump each other and young Cockerels of other breeds too.