Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[RedRidge]

Pickitfarm? Any pips?

 

[Bulldogma]

OK... looks like the remaining 5 eggs are quiet, but 7 chicks are doing well.
I took the last 4 out of the bator a few minutes ago... the last one is dry but obviously dried a little sticky, not too bad though.
So... 7 babies... quite happy!

I'm surprised how similar they all look. I'm not sure why but I was expecting differences.
It's going to be fun to watch as these grow.
I will need to reread this thread again to see when colors and sex begin to become apparent.

Am really hoping for a calico... love that color and am so partial to it... would be great to have one that looked like his daddy.

Thanks Bulldogma... will post pics in a few days after everyone fluffs out more and are more stable on their feet.

I'm working to add more color variety to my flock... but you'll probably be pleased with what you do have. You'll get calico (mille fleur) and blue. The ones that start out as red-heads and dark on the back with no blue undertones will be your mille fleurs.

So glad you got a decent hatch!!!! Seven is great for shipped eggs!!!

 

[Kimbroe1981]

i had 3 more hatch last night, as soon as they're a little more active i'll move them. I'll stick these babies under my black SFH Broody momma. I have another SFH broody, but she freaks out everytime i open the door and screams and runs away. she's abandoned several eggs, so i'm not sure if I should trust her with babies.

 

[RedRidge]

I'm working to add more color variety to my flock... but you'll probably be pleased with what you do have. You'll get calico (mille fleur) and blue. The ones that start out as red-heads and dark on the back with no blue undertones will be your mille fleurs.

OK... it appears about 5 of them have this coloring (these are the same three as in the pic above)...


Then the lightest is this one (I may have another with this similar grey type coloring on its back as opposed to dark brown).




They all appear to have red heads... I think... no white on their heads and no obvious black.
So Mille Fleur's except for one or two? am I understanding that right? And then what about these lightest ones? who knows?

 

[Leahs Mom]

RR - I've been amazed looking at the photos of the chicks on this thread and then seeing their adult photos. Sometimes you can't believe they're the same birds they look so different when they grow up.

 

[Bulldogma]

OK... it appears about 5 of them have this coloring (these are the same three as in the pic above)...


Then the lightest is this one (I may have another with this similar grey type coloring on its back as opposed to dark brown).


They all appear to have red heads... I think... no white on their heads and no obvious black.
So Mille Fleur's except for one or two? am I understanding that right? And then what about these lightest ones? who knows?

Squeeee!
The lightest ones are Elinor's babies, I'm sure. They will be blue/gray with accents of red and they will have white flowering of varying degrees.
The darker "read-heads" may surprise you by turning out all different. The darkest ones will likely be mille fleur, but may or may not have blue. The ones with blue can range from tons of blue to barely-there blue. All will have white flowering to all different degrees.



The first and 4th in this picture were light like your lighter two... both are maturing to look different from each other. The 3rd in this picture is mille fleur with no blue and will look a lot like Gunnar some day.

This boy is Mille Fleur with blue.


This boy (Gunnar) is Mille Fleur without blue.


But the amazing thing is that there are SO MANY possibilities with each color variety. A blue mille fleur could have predominantly red on the breast, or blue... Any light blue SFH could mature to be mostly blue, or have a huge amount of red spread throughout the feathering. Each one will be different and beautiful in its own way.

 

[RedRidge]

Quote:

Oh I am so excited!!!
I can't wait to watch them develop.
I suppose I ought to put some little zip ties on them before too long so I can watch how each develops.
So fun!! Thanks oodles!!

 

[Kimbroe1981]

Woo! It's hatch central on here!! I had 2 more hatch - 1 of them is one of my pure SFH, I'm so excited! I put 3 more with momma broody. My other 2 1/2 broody's are just not that dedicated. how many babies can a momma chicken care for? Right now she's got 8, I think she's about at her limit. Any thoughts?

 

[Bulldogma]

Woo! It's hatch central on here!! I had 2 more hatch - 1 of them is one of my pure SFH, I'm so excited! I put 3 more with momma broody. My other 2 1/2 broody's are just not that dedicated. how many babies can a momma chicken care for? Right now she's got 8, I think she's about at her limit. Any thoughts?

Unless it's freezing cold outside, a LF hen can handle 12+ easily. ki4got has mammas that have had 20-30 chicks under them!

 

[SunnySkies]

I think it's great you have a hen willing to take babies. I have three broodies now that have done well at hatching eggs and are great mothers to the hatchlings, but fostering even day old incubator chicks is out of the question to them, lol.