Looking for Flower Hens/Roosters

[waterpossum]

i found this breed on feathersite.com and i really liked the looks of them. the only think i found breederwise is in Dutch! not sure if anyone in the U.S. had any connections with a breeder of these chicks or not

 

[alohachickens]

Hey Waterpossum,

When I first looked at Feathersite, I fell in LOVE with the looks of this breed, too!

Unfortunately, no one in the US that I've found breeds them. There was a group trying to import some, but I've heard they had no luck so far. Importing birds from Europe has gotten very tricky since the whole "Avian Flu" thing popped up a few years ago.

So, I'm trying to create an "American" version of this breed. You can read about it here:

http://alohachickens.webs.com/

I was really helped early last spring by finding this oddball banty hen who has given me a few very unusual chicks. She is small in size, but her body shape is still like a "regular chicken" and if you didn't see anything to size her off of, would resemble the Swedish breed quite a bit:

Not a lot of progress so far, I hatched a few eggs from her but then the 'roo at my place showed a lack of interest in her, and the eggs she laid from then on were sterile. But check out this young hen that I hatched from one of the odd banty's eggs:

Right now the closest to "Flower Hens" in America is the Spotted Sussex. They only come in one color - dark mahogany red with black barring and white spots. The spotting is more even, and more sedate - not as "loud" or bright as the Swedish ones.

So, I'm also using Exchequer Leghorns in the mix. They have the flashy color, but only come in black and white! Here is a 3/4 Exchequer, 1/4 Sussex rooster, still a gangly teenager, but check out how flashy he is!

It's been very hard to breed away from that black and white, and the Leghorns are not deep-bodied enough, but I'm hatching chicks from that line now that are starting to come out with red and brown tones, although half are still coming out black and white . . . . my dark brown/white mottled hen "Kona" is now laying, I hatched out four chicks of hers this past Saturday! One is a rich red and looks like it will be mottled for sure!

Next step will be to increase size on them by outcrossing to larger breeds, and to "bump up" the red color by introducing some golden colors from New Hampshire Reds, and I also have some eggs on order from Blue Orpingtons to try and get blue/white mottled from the black/white hens.

It will probably take 3-5 years to get where I'm going, and that is *with* some help - I have an urban yard zoned for livestock, so I'm limited to only about 20 chickens total here. A couple of folks from AZ emailed me and offered to help, maybe with their assistance I might get there quicker.

I will be looking for help from other dedicated people out there who are interested. But, if they live outside of AZ, they will need to either have an incubator to try and hatch out eggs I send from my stock, or maybe be OK with paying to do "live shipping" on a rooster or two when I have extras. (Not cheap.)

If you are just getting into chickens and are not interested in breeding, order the Speckled Sussex, and maybe try and Mottled Java for large black and whites.

If you'd like to help out on this breed with me, get some "outside" colors like New Hampshire Reds and maybe something like Buff Rock to get the yellow tones, and cross those with the Speckled Sussex. The spots don't show up when you cross a "spotted" chicken with a solid one the first generation, but if you cross them back to a mottled chicken, the spots should start to show up again on the chicks.

If anyone out there would like to get involved, if you can hatch out some Sussex or Mottled Java chicks crossed with things like NH Reds, Buff Rocks, or even I've seen some RIR x Buff Orp crosses that turn out a brilliant dark gold . . .

Once you have half-Sussex or Java, the other half "something big and colorful" birds hatched out and grown, I can see about shipping a rooster or hatching eggs to you in the future. Free for cost of shipping, all I'd ask is for 1-2 dozen eggs back from you later.

Right now, I'm trying to hatch out oodles of chicks so I can get more hens like the orangey mottled one above - I need at least 10 hens if I want to offer hatching eggs to interested "project helpers" out there next fall/spring.

If that's too much to mess with, and all you want is a box o' baby chicks, get Speckled Susex, Mottled Java, or Sandhill Preservation has "Mille Leghorns" which are brown/black/white. Until someone manages to import them, or my breed gets started, that's about the best us "Swedish Spotted" fans can get!

And if you (or anyone on here) is in the Phoenix, AZ area and wants to get involved, I will have many extra roosters, and even some extra black and white hen chicks for FREE in return for eggs back if they can cross these with other large, solid breeds. (PM me for details if this describes you . . . . )

Hope this helps!

- Alohachicken

 

[ShysCreations]

AlohaCHicken--guess what? Greenfire Farms did import Swedish flower hens. They're quite costly for a pair but who knows....may happen in US. I like the looks of Flower hens too but they really remind me of Speckled Sussex. I wondered how folks in US will continue the Flower hens with such limited stock. Seems another breed like Sussex or Mille fleur Leghorn would have to be introduced to avoid inbreeding.

 

[starbright bird]

Yes, Greenfirefarms has juvenile pairs for $399.

They are beautiful.

 

[starbright bird]

Alohachicken, Your project is wonderful. I was over at your site. Inspiring!

 

[Reinbeau]

They are beautiful, but $399 for a juvie pair?? Too rich for my blood. I'll buy eggs someday if they ever become available.

 

[stoneunhenged]

Like you, I thought the Swedish flower hens looked cool on Feathersite, but when you see them in person you will be blown away by the riot of colors and the great personalities of these birds. After more than 500 years in Sweden, last month they finally made it to America.

Here's a brief history of the newest chicken breed in America that I hope you find helpful.

And here's a picture you might enjoy:

 

[starbright bird]

If my chicken budget allowed, I'd spring for them. Guess I'll wait till the flock is well established.

So you've seen them? They look simply glorious.

The cream legbars look incredible, too. I'm more interested in those.

 

[V Comb]

I think Stoneunhenged is the owner of them