Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[Knock Kneed Hen]

A friend of mine told me about this. I was a little skeptical, but it has been pretty accurate so far with both my Ameraucana's, and the Swedish Flowers Hens. It is always easier for me if I can visualize it so rather than me trying to explain it take a look at this article @ animalsciences.missouri.edu/reprod/ReproTech/Feathersex/index.htm. 

This link doesn't seem to be working but if you google "feather sexing in chickens" it comes up as a article from Jan.5, 1999. Hope this works for you.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

Please explain how you feather sex. I'd love to learn!

From my experience so far on most chicks if you pull out the wing within the first 2 days you look at the feathering and if there are shorter and longer feathers it is a female if they are all the same length it will be a male.

 

[henhouseScot]

Thanks for the welcome and for the advice and encouragement with the Swedish Flower Hens(and hopefully a rooster or two as well!) The mother hens are now out and about with their broods, free-ranging along with the regular flock; but making some hens keep their distance from the chicks. Close, but not TOO close, thank you! My current rooster has checked them all over and I guess they pass inspection because that's all he did. They seem to be taking the weather in stride and we've had quite a bit of rain and also some pretty cool nights. Usually we won't get a frost here any later than June 10th, so we should be in the clear on really cold nights for this time of year. They all go into the coop overnight, anyway. Thanks again!

 

[gavinandallison]

Thanks for the welcome and for the advice and encouragement with the Swedish Flower Hens(and hopefully a rooster or two as well!) The mother hens are now out and about with their broods, free-ranging along with the regular flock; but making some hens keep their distance from the chicks. Close, but not TOO close, thank you! My current rooster has checked them all over and I guess they pass inspection because that's all he did. They seem to be taking the weather in stride and we've had quite a bit of rain and also some pretty cool nights. Usually we won't get a frost here any later than June 10th, so we should be in the clear on really cold nights for this time of year. They all go into the coop overnight, anyway. Thanks again!

HenhouseScot, yes welcome. I am also new to the breed, learning quick and looking foward to my first hatch next week. Frost in June? where are you?

 

[ladyfaeden]

I was just playing on the chicken color calculator with what I'm seeing in my swedish flock. Has anyone else done this? I'm wondering if what I figured out the colors to be is correct.

Black patterned Gold or Red Millefleur
Blue patterned Gold or Red Millefleur
Splash patterned Gold or Red Mille fleur
Black Pied/mottled

Every one of my chickens fits into this and these colors mixed together create more of the same. The odd white with grey smudge hens that I had did pop up as I was playing with the calculator as a possibility. I think it was called something like a incomplete splash. It looks like I was right to remove them from the breeding program as they get away from the established patterns. Some of my black pied/mottled chickens have a "black copper" pattern on their neck, which is probably just color leakage from the gold. Keeping just the one Splash patterned Gold Mille fleur (if that is actually what he is) will allow me to have as much or as little of that color as I want. I'll have to go back and look but I think the Black pied was dominate over the millefleur-so I don't need to keep as much of that either if I'm going for a good balance with the Millefleur.

 

[ladyfaeden]

Oh! My original pairing was millefleur x blue. I just realized I've a hen that doesn't fit into this but she also wouldn't look Swedish at all if it wasn't for her crest. I think she's a solid blue with color leakage, ill have to go back and look but it seems like that would be a possibility.

 

[salunra]

Disappointed today. I had ordered some SFH chicks from Greenfire. They were supposed to ship Tuesday. I have no chicks, no shipping notice and cannot get a hold of GF by phone or email. I know it is only Thursday, but I am frustrated.

Might just need to cancel the order, get an incubator and find some hatching eggs instead.

Sorry for whining here, but my husband doesn't understand. I have other new chicks here already, but these were the ones I was really looking forward to.

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

I'm not familiar with the color chicken chart. Do you have a link? Would help me to understand what you're referring to. I'm new at the whole genetics thing and not very good at it. . . but I'd like to learn.

 

[ladyfaeden]

I just looked at my hen again, she's a blue pied/mottled with color leakage. I am typing on my phone, so giving the link would be difficult. I can do it later when I can get on my computer. In the meantime, Google chicken color calculator and it will pop up. I put in the black pattern gold mille fleur x solid blue, then bred the resulting blue split pied together and went on from there.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

Disappointed today. I had ordered some SFH chicks from Greenfire. They were supposed to ship Tuesday. I have no chicks, no shipping notice and cannot get a hold of GF by phone or email. I know it is only Thursday, but I am frustrated.
Might just need to cancel the order, get an incubator and find some hatching eggs instead.

Sorry for whining here, but my husband doesn't understand. I have other new chicks here already, but these were the ones I was really looking forward to.

I would wait, I haven't heard anything but good from GF and if you want pure breeds their the ones to go to. From what I have learned all the SFH in america have came from GF because they imported them. If you want quality go with GF. Hatching eggs that are shipped and incubators cost a lot more money in the long run and you loose a lot of chicks in the meantime.