Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[OleMissChic]

some are noticeable immediately, others take a few weeks to develop.

Quote:
each breeder will have their own method of selection and such, so after a couple generations those usually become distinct lines of their own... so chicks from a variety of sources will give you a better range of diversity to work with. I highly recommend using multiple roos when possible, and rotating the girls among them now and then though, so that you have more options to pick from in your offspring.

the sfh hasn't been in this country all that long, so truthfully, the lines are still being established IMO... so what I would suggest is picking birds that are unique and as different from the others you have in the flock as possible. birds that look a lot alike are more likely to share lineage. and once a line is established, I think you'll see a general appearance and color variations between individual breeders down the road. maybe not a lot of differences, but some subtle ones maybe. like this person's roos tend to have darker hackles, or that ones hens tend to have more mottling...

Thank you! Seeing how SFHs progress here is one of the reasons these are so exciting.

 

[Bulldogma]

I have a question about this pullet. Her crest is very large and would impede her vision from the top for sure. Is she what you would call a double crested?

She could be, but I have seen some much bigger crests than that on SFH.

If you free range your birds, you may want to trim her crest feathers fairly regularly to allow her to see... and be sure to only use uncrested roos with her - LOL! If she is homozygous, ALL of her chicks will have crests. If she is heterozygous, only half her chicks will. That will be the best way to know for sure.

 

[insanity]

Let me rephrase my question. Would it be important to include some chicks directly from GFF in a new flock. Or is there a paticular breeder that is "a must have" to establish quality? I believe you can't breed good animals without good foundation stock.
I was aiming for three sources for bloodlines and have two. I just don't know where to go for the last order of chicks.

 

[SoManyHats]

Please help me identify which chick is my Swedish Flower. I had 29 hatch that day during a party I was giving, so I didn't get to see what came out of my one SFH egg. TIA

Contenders are (10 days old):

 

[Kyzmette]

Another question... has anybody noticed if SFH are more susceptible to pasty butt? I just had a mixed hatch and every SFH has pasty butt, but the others don't.

 

[Leahs Mom]

This is a crest to crest kiddo (not vaulted) at about 16 weeks. Not sure what I'm going to do with this hairdo when they go ranging in the spring. I have almost resigned myself to the fact that she may be one that will be lost like her bio-mom. (I have actually considered collecting it into a pony tail with a covered rubber band.)

 

[ki4got]

Please help me identify which chick is my Swedish Flower. I had 29 hatch that day during a party I was giving, so I didn't get to see what came out of my one SFH egg. TIA

Contenders are (10 days old):

honestly, it could be any of them. give it another week or 2, the sfh will have definite calico/mottled pattern show up once the wing and chest feathers start coming in more.

here's some of my bunch(es).. they are ALL SFH. different age groups from a week old in the first pic, 3 and 5 weeks in the second. all from Leigh's birds.

 

[ki4got]

Another question... has anybody noticed if SFH are more susceptible to pasty butt? I just had a mixed hatch and every SFH has pasty butt, but the others don't.

nope. not one of my many has... and they're all eating fermented feed within a couple days of hatch now. I've got the 'method' down pat. LOL once they start exploring, add an older chick to their brooder for a few days. when feeding time comes around, he's face first in it, and they all have to check it out too. LOL

 

[Leahs Mom]

If I decide to trim the crest feathers - and these are "ignorant" questions - I'm uneducated in this....

-How much can I trim back?
-Is there a "quick" in the feathers that if I cut them back I need to avoid so that it won't hurt?
-Does it affect them at all as far as feeling irritated or itching like it would if you shaved an area that usually has hair?

 

[SoManyHats]

honestly, it could be any of them. give it another week or 2, the sfh will have definite calico/mottled pattern show up once the wing and chest feathers start coming in more. here's some of my bunch(es).. they are ALL SFH. different age groups from a week old in the first pic, 3 and 5 weeks in the second. all from Leigh's birds.

Wow! Okay. I guess it will show itself soon. I didn't realize they got their pattern so early! Thanks.