Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[Sylvester017]

They were from late 2016 spring hatch. I've honestly never seen the rooster mount her, she just started laying a few weeks ago. These are my only two SFH but they are in with 30 or 40 other birds. Younger layers that aren't laying yet and 2 other roosters. All the roosters are the same age and I've not seen any of them mount the hens. The other two roosters are going to get sold hopefully and then I will just have the SFH. I plan on seperating these two out so I can hopefully get some fertile eggs to hatch out once it's warmer. Right now I wouldn't know who's chicks they might be.

Well, he certainly is so-o-o handsome! Icelandics and SFHs are landrace feathered and I can't tell them apart at first glance. How would you distinguish SFHs from Icelandics at first glance?

 

[minihorse927]

Well, he certainly is so-o-o handsome!  Icelandics and SFHs are landrace feathered and I can't tell them apart at first glance.  How would you distinguish SFHs from Icelandics at first glance?

Swedish flowers should always be mottled, have yellow and occasionally flesh colored legs, and single combs. They come in every possible feather coloration there is but they are always mottled.

Icelandic have variations of leg color beyond yellow and flesh color, can have many comb types and may or may not be mottled in coloration.

If someone chose to breed these 2 breeds they would need to keep chicks separated because if they have mottled Icelandic chickens there could be a mix up if the genetics come together just right.

 

[Chaos18]

My Swedish babies from Mini.

Group

Chick 1

Chick 2

Chick 3

 

[minihorse927]

I'm gonna try hard to keep this going. Watch these 6 grow up from 5 day olds.

all 6 together

green

blue

red

blue/white

yellow

white(only Hatcher from a shipped batch of eggs)

All chicks are 5 to 7 days old in these pics, taken 1/6/2017

 

[minihorse927]

And tonight 1/12/17

green

blue

yellow

blue/white

red

white

 

[cree57i]

And tonight 1/12/17
green blue yellow blue/white red white

White is already looking like a cocky cockerel. Nice group!

 

[Sylvester017]

Swedish flowers should always be mottled, have yellow and occasionally flesh colored legs, and single combs. They come in every possible feather coloration there is but they are always mottled.

Icelandic have variations of leg color beyond yellow and flesh color, can have many comb types and may or may not be mottled in coloration.

If someone chose to breed these 2 breeds they would need to keep chicks separated because if they have mottled Icelandic chickens there could be a mix up if the genetics come together just right.

TY! Which one is the breed that can be crested? Ice's or SFH's?

I'm gonna try hard to keep this going. Watch these 6 grow up from 5 day olds. all 6 together

Babies are always so cute! Partridge females like Welsummers or Silkies will have females that have a dark chipmunk stripe down the middle of the head down the back. Would it be safe to identify females the same way with SFH's? Because I look at the two chicks on the bottom of the photo and would say "female" if they were Wellie or Silkie.

 

[minihorse927]

White is already looking like a cocky cockerel. Nice group! 

Blue is definitely a cockerel. I think red is also. I'm not sure on white yet. Sometimes it acts like a cockerel and others a pullet.

[COLOR=0000CD]TY!   Which one is the breed that can be crested?  Ice's or SFH's?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=0000CD]Babies are always so cute!  Partridge females like Welsummers or Silkies will have females that have a dark chipmunk stripe down the middle of the head down the back.  Would it be safe to identify females the same way with SFH's?  Because I look at the two chicks on the bottom of the photo and would say "female" if they were Wellie or Silkie.[/COLOR]

I haven't paid close enough attention to down color vs sex as adults. Part of the reason I am doing the week by week pics.

Both Icelandic and sfh can be crested. Icelandic should lay white eggs and sfh lay brown.

 

[song of joy]

For those of you who have successfully hatched out SFH eggs using a broody hen, could you please provide some details on what to use for the nest material? With respect to other breeds of chickens, I've heard of folks cutting out a piece of sod and putting it soil side up for the base of the nest (to provide humidity), followed by hay or straw on top of the sod to hold the eggs. Is this the right approach for SFH eggs? I've also heard that SFH eggs may need less humidity that other breeds, so is the sod needed for humidity?

A couple of years ago, I set up a nest for broody hen to hatch out barnyard mix eggs. It was pine chips/flakes at the base, topped with a bowl-shaped nest of hay. After the hatch (6 of 6 fertile eggs hatched), I noticed that some rain water had at some point during incubation gotten into the base of the nest, dampening some of the pine chips, while keeping the hay dry. I wonder if this humidity helped the hatch?

I realize the eggs pick up some humidity from the hen's brood patches, but is this enough humidity for SFH eggs if all of the nest material is very dry?

 

[minihorse927]

For those of you who have successfully hatched out SFH eggs using a broody hen, could you please provide some details on what to use for the nest material?  With respect to other breeds of chickens, I've heard of folks cutting out a piece of sod and putting it soil side up for the base of the nest (to provide humidity), followed by hay or straw on top of the sod to hold the eggs.  Is this the right approach for SFH eggs?  I've also heard that SFH eggs may need less humidity that other breeds, so is the sod needed for humidity?

A couple of years ago, I set up a nest for broody hen to hatch out barnyard mix eggs.  It was pine chips/flakes at the base, topped with a bowl-shaped nest of hay.  After the hatch (6 of 6 fertile eggs hatched), I noticed that some rain water had at some point during incubation gotten into the base of the nest, dampening some of the pine chips, while keeping the hay dry.  I wonder if this humidity helped the hatch? 

I realize the eggs pick up some humidity from the hen's brood patches, but is this enough humidity for SFH eggs if all of the nest material is very dry?  

all of my nest boxes contain a layer of pine shavings (with a handful of cedar mixed in, keeps the creepy crawlers out) and then a layer of straw or hay on top. My Swedish flower hens have went broody and kicked the straw out and made a nest strictly on pine shavings and hatched 100% of the eggs. I don't do anything special for ours