Hedemora Thread

[stoneunhenged]

Hedemora, a native Swedish breed, may be the most cold hardy chickens in the world. They routinely lay eggs down to 5°F and free range at -5°F for hours at a time. They have a unique layer of down under their feathers and some birds of this breed have fur-like feathers that cover their bodies. There is quite a bit of variability in this landrace that over a period of centuries adapted to a climate in Sweden that is nearly on the same northern latitude as Anchorage, Alaska. Hedemora come in various colors. Their outer feathers may be hard or fluffy, and their legs may be clean or feathered. There are probably between a thousand and two thousand of these birds remaining in the world. Here's a hedemora pullet:

And here's a hedemora cockerel:

 

[awesomefowl]

I want some but can't afford them right now.

 

[BirdNut]

These birds are gorgeous. I hope others have some more pictures of them to share.

 

[Mahonri]

That pullet looks like it has Silkie feathers ...

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

What kind of assortment in colors did you guys end up with in your shipment?

I love that there is so much variety in the "breed". What traits do ALL Hedemora have in common, though? It seems like there is great variability in color, feather type, and other traits. (Like the leg feathers, for example.) I've even read that some have black skin and some do not.

Is the thick down and common heritage the only shared feature?

I love these birds. I think they are exactly what I have been looking for and I am so excited that you have been able to import them into the US.

 

[stoneunhenged]

Some of the characteristics common to the breed are the under layer of down, similarity in size and body shape, a compact uniform head shape, and a metabolism that has adapted to the cold. Swedish hobbyists who raise these birds emphasize the need to keep breeding groups of hedemora with diverse colors and feather patterns in order to maintain the genetic diversity within the breed.

 

[canada-goose]

Wow, that pullet is beautiful!

 

[punky rooster]

wow I barely ever heard of a Hedemora
that pullet is very nice

 

[V Comb]

Quote:
It does...there are three types; silkied, smooth feather legged and smooth non-feather legged. I've been doing my research...

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

What are the average weights of the adult birds? Seems I read it somewhere, but can't find it now.