Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[Leahs Mom]

@KYTinpusher
On the Brinseas - which specific model(s) do you use?

 

[KYTinpusher]

@KYTinpusher
On the Brinseas - which specific model(s) do you use?

I have 2 Octo 20 Advance EX's

 

[jvanstyn]

@KYTinpusher
On the Brinseas - which specific model(s) do you use?

I have the Octo Advance EX. One 40 and one 20. The humidity pumps and wicks are interchangeable. I haven't used them in over a year, preferring to use broody hens when I can.

 

[Ashdoes]

We're looking at the octagon 20. Even though the Hovabator holds more eggs, I only need to set 49 eggs because it never hatches all of them.
I also prefer having a broody, and am always happy with how well the Cochins mother the chicks. We had a Wyandotte brood a clutch, and she was a bit more aggressive then I like.
Our SFH chicks are peppy little things. They move much faster then the Cochin chick, and even the cochin cream Legbar mixes aren't as quick as the SFH.

 

[THeelChickinKY]

When you all go the broody route, how do the chicks end up as far as socializing with people go? We used a broody for the first time last fall and those resulting chicks were (and the grown chickens still are) petrified of us! One of the pullets won't even walk out through the run door WITH the rest of the flock if it means walking near us! The broody isn't afraid of us. I guess they weren't handled at all as chicks, though, and that's the difference.

 

[LisaLouHoo]

When you all go the broody route, how do the chicks end up as far as socializing with people go? We used a broody for the first time last fall and those resulting chicks were (and the grown chickens still are) petrified of us! One of the pullets won't even walk out through the run door WITH the rest of the flock if it means walking near us! The broody isn't afraid of us. I guess they weren't handled at all as chicks, though, and that's the difference.

That's the down side of having broodies raise them. They aren't as friendly, but they get to live more like nature intended. I noticed that they weren't social, except of course, when it comes to food. They all learn who brings the food, lol. I'm not one to handle my chickens much, so this doesn't bother me. But I do hate when they act like you're going to kill them when you DO have to handle them.

 

[jvanstyn]

Quote: About an hour south. Do you know where the Kentucky Speedway is?

My reply:

I figured with Google maps that I live 52 miles from Kentucky Speedway and Kentucky Speedway is 29 miles from where I get my Hiland chicken feed at Rising Phoenix Heritage Farm http://www.risingphoenixheritagefarm.com/ .

Why I am interested in how far away you live from me is that I want to get with fellow SFH keepers and breeders and possibly exchange roosters and chickens with them. Right now, I’m raising 8 SFH chicks that I purchased from Greenfire Farms as day-old chicks on 2/9/2015. Four of them are crested.

Right now, I’m tentatively going to lend my (hopefully, I have a male crested rooster that will be worthy of being a breeder from my batch from Greenfire Farms) to my neighbor Mandy. She has a beautiful black speckled SFH that she raised from some eggs (Her name is Sparkles) I gave her about 2 years ago. She wanted some crested SFHs but got none from her hatch and, at the time I gave her these eggs, I had no crested SFHs either. I can’t lend her any of my roosters because they are related and they don’t have crests.

I also have a friend who lives in Florence, KY who I gave some eggs to and lent her my Brinsea Advance EX incubator. She has a batch of my SFHs now also. Living in Florence, she has to keep a low profile and putting a SFH rooster in her yard will probably be out of the question. We kicked the idea around of putting eggs under one of her hens if one of her girls went broody. After her SFH chicks hatched from my Brinsea, I took all the roosters off her hands before they started crowing.

Write or call Mary Remley of Rising Phoenix Heritage Farm [email protected] (859) 743-7476 and order some feed. This Hiland feed is the absolute best feed there is. I always get the Whole Grain Layer. She wants her feed order by Monday, March 23rd for delivery 2 weeks later. We could agree to meet (I'm retired and very flexible) at Mary’s to pickup our feed order on the same time and we could meet.

 

[KYTinpusher]

My reply:

I figured with Google maps that I live 52 miles from Kentucky Speedway and Kentucky Speedway is 29 miles from where I get my Hiland chicken feed at Rising Phoenix Heritage Farm http://www.risingphoenixheritagefarm.com/ .

Why I am interested in how far away you live from me is that I want to get with fellow SFH keepers and breeders and possibly exchange roosters and chickens with them. Right now, I’m raising 8 SFH chicks that I purchased from Greenfire Farms as day-old chicks on 2/9/2015. Four of them are crested.

Right now, I’m tentatively going to lend my (hopefully, I have a male crested rooster that will be worthy of being a breeder from my batch from Greenfire Farms) to my neighbor Mandy. She has a beautiful black speckled SFH that she raised from some eggs (Her name is Sparkles) I gave her about 2 years ago. She wanted some crested SFHs but got none from her hatch and, at the time I gave her these eggs, I had no crested SFHs either. I can’t lend her any of my roosters because they are related and they don’t have crests.

I also have a friend who lives in Florence, KY who I gave some eggs to and lent her my Brinsea Advance EX incubator. She has a batch of my SFHs now also. Living in Florence, she has to keep a low profile and putting a SFH rooster in her yard will probably be out of the question. We kicked the idea around of putting eggs under one of her hens if one of her girls went broody. After her SFH chicks hatched from my Brinsea, I took all the roosters off her hands before they started crowing.

Write or call Mary Remley of Rising Phoenix Heritage Farm [email protected] (859) 743-7476 and order some feed. This Hiland feed is the absolute best feed there is. I always get the Whole Grain Layer. She wants her feed order by Monday, March 23rd for delivery 2 weeks later. We could agree to meet (I'm retired and very flexible) at Mary’s to pickup our feed order on the same time and we could meet.

That is where I am getting my feed now, too!

I started a couple of months ago. Very nice lady!

If I have any crested roosters growing out, I will definitely let you know. I have some 4 week olds in the brooder and I think I saw a couple of crests popping up. I need to look at them a little closer. I also have some 1 and 2 week olds and some of those should be crested. And, of course, more eggs in the bator!

I only use non-crested roosters for breeding. I have both crested and uncrested hens, so I get chicks in both. I just got 2 new cockerels from Dale Fisher - his new German import line. It will be a few months before they are ready to breed.

We are up in Florence quite often. I am also retired and quite flexible on when to meet. I am always happy to go and discuss SFH!

 

[Bukrub66]

Good Morning everyone, my chicks are now a little over 6 weeks old. It looks like I have 7 out of the 11 are cockerels. I was gonna sell these but I'm concidering keeping one Roo. Currently I have hens in black, blue and splash. My 6 month old Cockereral is a black mil fleur. Of the chicks I have all 3 of the same colors. For breeding purposes and a multitude of color possibilities. What is the best color Roo to have?

 

[TxFlowers]

Good Morning everyone, my chicks are now a little over 6 weeks old. It looks like I have 7 out of the 11 are cockerels. I was gonna sell these but I'm concidering keeping one Roo. Currently I have hens in black, blue and splash. My 6 month old Cockereral is a black mil fleur. Of the chicks I have all 3 of the same colors. For breeding purposes and a multitude of color possibilities. What is the best color Roo to have?

Good morning! You tired of rain yet?? I know I am!

Hopefully we are about to get a few nice days! I will tell you a blue based because a blue can father all colors but you also have to have multiple colored hens or at least some in blue.