Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[Bulldogma]

Nice video!

Of the chicks that I got from you and Karen in September, I have two red/white cockerels, one mille fleur cockerel and a red/white pullet. Of the hatching eggs that I got from your, two SFH eggs that hatched. One is a an evenly mottled brown-red and white cockerel. The other appears to be and acts like a pullet. This pullet was blue and white tuxedo colored at hatch. Since that time she maintained some blue feathering but growing some red. Interestingly, most of her blue feathers now appear to be red laced blue feathers.

When things warm up some I will try to get some more pictures.

LOL - got more than your fair share of cockerels, huh? Murphy's law always seems to do that to me too.

As for the splash/blue flowered red - in my opinion, it's one of the most beautiful color patterns! I have one also. Hope yours turns out as beautifully as I think she might.

 

[redhen689]

My SFH are 6 months old today, and I just got my first egg. It is the largest egg I've ever seen for a first egg.

 

[redhen689]

Yes...I'm bummed because I have a crest to crest girl. I like her color but the crest is larger...and I don't like even small crests to be honest.

I want to find a non-crested boy as my roo is crested. I have one pullet that is non-crest and I'd love to get a few more. It may take a visit to VA to accomplish this.

I have 3 hens and 2 roos, all non-crested. They have just started laying.
My daughter drives from eastern PA to the Chicago area a couple of times a year, maybe we can work something out some time.

 

[shotzy007]

I thought SFH were supposed to be raised as a landrace to maintain genetic diversity? In my flock, I do not intend to breed for certain characteristics and will let the crested and non-crested do their thing.

That makes me happy, a small thing I know. My chickens started as a hobby, grew into a love affair of the best kind.

 

[lawatt]

hatching day here, for my crazy went-broody-after-only-laying-for 2-or-3-weeks swedish flower hen:

it remains to be seen how many of the seven eggs she's been sitting on made it through our recent Big Freeze, but one has hatched already (see empty shell to her right), and in my brief nest-check i could see that at least one more is pipping...! the chicks are not SFHs, but thought this group might enjoy the photo!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote: I'm "partial" to the dark colors both blacks and grays. Could you post some photos of your birds?

 

[redhen689]

I'm "partial" to the dark colors both blacks and grays. Could you post some photos of your birds?

Here's a photo of my darkest girl. I'll try to get more photos later this week.

 

[ki4got]

Quote: I wouldn't consider her 'dark' like Bulldogma's Berta (I think? I stink at names LOL) she looks like the classic mille fleur pattern with black rather than blue base.
how old is that bird? it looks more like a roo to me than a pullet, unless it's been laying a good while.

this would be a blue mille girl... (crested) where blue replaces the black pigmentation... but the pattern is still the same.

 

[redhen689]

I wouldn't consider her 'dark' like Bulldogma's Berta (I think? I stink at names LOL) she looks like the classic mille fleur pattern with black rather than blue base.
how old is that bird? it looks more like a roo to me than a pullet, unless it's been laying a good while.

this would be a blue mille girl... (crested) where blue replaces the black pigmentation... but the pattern is still the same.

She is 6 months old, and definitely a pullet,Maybe it's the camera angle that makes her look like a roo. My other 2 pullets are the same pattern but with lighter colors, similar to the one in your photo.
Thanks for the descriptive terms of their coloring. I am not familiar with the proper names of poultry patterns and colors.

 

[ki4got]

Quote: is she laying already? this is my blue girl at about 8 months old...



well, the sfh doesn't really HAVE proper names... technically they're not really mille fleur either but more like a calico, but mille is the common name for that type of pattern. the only thing a sfh MUST have is mottling, as far as color is concerned... some are more black or blue or splash, some of the splash look more red and white, since the splash is also nearly white in many. because of the partridge genetics behind the mille fleur color variety, some might come out almost laced now and then too, but they wouldn't breed true for the lacing, it's just the combination of genes that are possible.