Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[Bulldogma]

Gunnar behavioral update:

He's back to being a perfect gentleman - LOL. These birds have such easy going personalities. I just love them!

If it ends up being a health issue, I can always add some non crested- DH had some of them in Sweden, but back then they didn't think of them as anything special. As he said, they were just 'farm chickens'. However this breed was better than more solid colored birds @ natural cammo free ranging, they just blended in with the surroundings. My MIL has friends with a dairy in North Sweden that have mostly what she believes is the SFH, she said they look the same. From what they tell me they are a good breed b/c they are pretty much low maintenance- again these birds are completely free ranged. That's about all I've been told really.

Every tidbit of information on SFHs is like gold to me! Even the things that seem mundane like "back then they didn't think of them as anything special."

That in and of itself is part of the breed's history and likely a contributing factor to why the breed almost died out. Thank you for sharing this, and if your husband thinks of anything else - any other little bits of information, please PM me or share it here!

 

[SunnySkies]

Mine has been better behaved since I carried him around again, but I'm watching him. He half heartedly followed me away after I filled the feeder this morning, like he does, but he stopped and turned back while I carried on with my chores. I'm hopeful it is due to teenage hormones and will go away once he grows up a bit, but I'm worried. Sure he is only doing what a rooster should, but I'm the feed source...he had better respect me.

My girls (the Maran and EE pullets, along with a few local mix ladies) flood me every morning begging, lol. The Silkies make this funny chirping noise asking for food in their tractor.

SFH are awesome at free range. In the crummiest weather, my two boys are out in it by choice, last to go in the coop, and on good weather days, I find them out in the horse field or down by the woods.

 

[Dahlisgrams]

Several of our Swedish Flower Hen pullets have begun laying at 18 weeks.

No issues with roosters with attitudes yet. Good luck to those having these issues.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

Oh heavens... I wouldn't hurt that roo for anything! Just want him to know his place. He's a good boy - just trying to do what he believes is his job and protect his little flock.


Very pretty chicks!!!

I believe what ki4got is eluding to is the chance of getting chicks with vaulted skulls from crossing crested to crested. Vaulted skulls can cause death just before hatch or shortly after. If you breed crested to uncrested, you will not get this deformity, but you will still get about 50% crested birds.

The other possible drawback to homozygous crested birds is that the crest is then so large that the bird's vision is compromised and it is easier for them to be picked off by predators. (They don't free range well... and these birds LOVE to free range!!)

I'd love to hear everything your husband remembers about Swedish Flower Hens in Sweden! There is little information on them here in the US.

Me too I would love to here from your husband

we just took 2 SFH from the hatcher they both appear to be from my chocolate hen

, its weird our last hatch was twin black amd whites this one twin chocolates

 

[lcatty]

Me too I would love to here from your husband

we just took 2 SFH from the hatcher they both appear to be from my chocolate hen

, its weird our last hatch was twin black amd whites this one twin chocolates

Do you have a photo of your chocolate Swede? Or her chicks? I'd like to see them- I bet they are pretty. Are they spotted, or solid chocolate?

 

[Leahs Mom]

Posting some 6 week photos to see if anyone has a guess as to gender. It was really hard to get a good photo of some of them so I just posted what I was able to get.

Anyone care to put in your .02 worth on gender?

I think I'll divide them into individual posts so that it doesn't get so long in one post.

This one I can always get the most photos of. It is the largest of all the kiddos. I refer to it as "yellow" but that will change soon. (It was mostly yellow down at hatch.)

Yellow:







I was hoping to show the tail here. This one has the largest tail.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Post 2: 6 Week Olds

Anyone care to put in your .02 worth on gender?


Orange

 

[Leahs Mom]

Post 3: 6 Week Olds

Anyone care to put in your .02 worth on gender?


Blue

It was hard to get a good photo on this one. Blue is behind orange in this photo. Crest with "s" shaped comb.

 

[Herducks]

Posting some 6 week photos to see if anyone has a guess as to gender. It was really hard to get a good photo of some of them so I just posted what I was able to get.

Anyone care to put in your .02 worth on gender?

I think I'll divide them into individual posts so that it doesn't get so long in one post.

This one I can always get the most photos of. It is the largest of all the kiddos. I refer to it as "yellow" but that will change soon. (It was mostly yellow down at hatch.)

Yellow:







I was hoping to show the tail here. This one has the largest tail.

I vote cockerel on this one.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Post 4: 6 Week Olds

Anyone care to put in your .02 worth on gender?


Black

Also hard to get a good photo on this one. The smallest. Kind of homely.

Hope it makes a better looking adult!





Black is behind mom, there. At least you can see the comb! (That's Yellow in the foreground.)