Chicken Breed Focus - Swedish Flower Hen

[EggSighted4Life]

At what age/methods do you sex your Swedish Flower chicks?

At 5 1/2 weeks I can tell 7/9 are boys. They have bigger pinker combs and they participate more in the pecking order as well as often being larger in size. I have had a late bloomer in the past. But by 6 weeks, usually have a VERY good idea. Also can tell who will be crested by this point.

Of course some you can identify as boys much sooner than that by relative size and behavior.

 

[milleralexis94]

@EggSighted4Life In these pictures she's about 10 months old (a little over a year old now), and has always been outgoing, even when she was a chick. I thought she was going to be a roo for quite a while because she developed extremely fast compared to the other chicks I had at the same time.

 

[Kyanite]

I am so enamored with these birds. I've wanted them since I got my first chickens! Them and Icelandics. lol I WILL be getting SFH this spring. That's all there is too it. I have decided to purchase and incubator, and once I'm confident with it, I'm getting eggs. I think the SFH is about the most beautiful chicken I've seen, and given my climate and me & hubby's interest in homesteading, they fit us perfectly.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

My first hatchlings and first SFH! They are 3 weeks old and I'm dying to know who's male and who's female. I was worried that with how curious and confident they all seem to be I hatched all boys. But reading that they seem to be that way regardless of sex makes me feel better.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

View attachment 1021206
My first hatchlings and first SFH! They are 3 weeks old and I'm dying to know who's male and who's female. I was worried that with how curious and confident they all seem to be I hatched all boys. But reading that they seem to be that way regardless of sex makes me feel better.

Very nice and congratulations! SFH start to show their gender pretty good by weeks 5-6 though some can be discerned earlier. But it's in the comb/waddles/behavior not feathering at that point. They have been a mixed bag of curious/ friendly to the opposite end of the spectrum for me and down right flighty. In my huge flock it's been difficult for the SFH to stand out. But with recent reductions, the hens are coming around more. Make that hen because my other one was lost recently to egg binding after being broken from broody.

Curiously, I'm gonna call 2nd from the bottom on the left a cockerel due to coloring. So far when I see the bright stuff coming in early it's a good indicator.

I excell at hatching boys. So far for SFH my first hatch was 7/9 boys and second (broody hatch) was 2/2 boys. So 9/11 boys and 1 of the 2 girls was taken by a predator. The straight run chicks I got ended up being 5/8 boys. Just makes the girls even more special!

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Very nice and congratulations! SFH start to show their gender pretty good by weeks 5-6 though some can be discerned earlier. But it's in the comb/waddles/behavior not feathering at that point. They have been a mixed bag of curious/ friendly to the opposite end of the spectrum for me and down right flighty. In my huge flock it's been difficult for the SFH to stand out. But with recent reductions, the hens are coming around more. Make that hen because my other one was lost recently to egg binding after being broken from broody.

Curiously, I'm gonna call 2nd from the bottom on the left a cockerel due to coloring. So far when I see the bright stuff coming in early it's a good indicator.

I excell at hatching boys. So far for SFH my first hatch was 7/9 boys and second (broody hatch) was 2/2 boys. So 9/11 boys and 1 of the 2 girls was taken by a predator. The straight run chicks I got ended up being 5/8 boys. Just makes the girls even more special!

Ha Ha I pick boys every time. That's why I wasn't going to hatch. My last pick of 4 straight run were 3/4 boys!

I have 2 with more of a comb then the others suddenly and those are my guess for boys. (2/7 ) Personality wise they are all pretty confident. I don't see a real leader out of the bunch. In fact one with a comb is a little more shy.

I always say I'll know when they crow or lay an egg.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Ha Ha I pick boys every time. That's why I wasn't going to hatch. My last pick of 4 straight run were 3/4 boys!

I have 2 with more of a comb then the others suddenly and those are my guess for boys. (2/7 ) Personality wise they are all pretty confident. I don't see a real leader out of the bunch. In fact one with a comb is a little more shy.

I always say I'll know when they crow or lay an egg.

Well, some females crow.. and my males actually sing the egg song when they get startled well enough or sometimes with the girls! So you better stick with if it lays an egg.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Well, some females crow.. and my males actually sing the egg song when they get startled well enough or sometimes with the girls! So you better stick with if it lays an egg.

Ya know! Couldn't they just hatch with a little sign.
"I'm a girl!"

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Ya know! Couldn't they just hatch with a little sign.
"I'm a girl!"

For the longest time just now I went back to see if I insinuated you weren't a girl!

dee ta dee!

And I still don't know cause I hardly look at profiles.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Ha Ha Ha!
I am a girl but I was meaning it would be nice if they would hatch saying what they are. I knew what I meant. LOL