Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[Trooper Man]

Anyone have anymore pictures they would like to share? Also are these birds flighty or good, calm natured chickens? I am looking to get my hands on some I am getting three pair in late April/ early May but would like some more.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
so did the 2 boys stay boys? i know that sounds silly, but they don't seem to be consistent in early development sometimes.

 

[FeyRaine]

so did the 2 boys stay boys? i know that sounds silly, but they don't seem to be consistent in early development sometimes.

Yes actually they did, and both are nice. Sadly one of the girls I already had turned out to be a boy too <sigh> of course.
I keep intending to get some photos.
But at the moment I have

Pullet(mar2013 so almost a hen) crested , black based (black tail and black all over body color)"Flo"
Pullet pol !! non-crested, ?black base? blacktail , body is light tan/fawn color

3Cockerals
2 from you
--the Black based crested (top roo & I really like as he has flashes of every color it seams)
--the non-crested , I guess MF pattern technically? , tans w/ reds some blacks
&
--Blue based crested (from same hatch as pol pullet eggs from Papabrooder) love the colors, lowest chicken in the coop which I find odd

When I re-arrange for breeding Flo will be joining the boys and I'll be risking the dreaded double crest situation, but that is just how it will be for awhile, I think that those that hatch w/o issues will tend to be really pretty black based birds --??will any of those have a chance of being totally non-crested? I'm thinking 25% chance, then half of those could be female, so 12% chance of non-crested black based pullets, and if I do get that unicorn you bet I'll be keeping her ;> oops and apparently I just named the first one I get...

 

[Trooper Man]

I will be getting three pair and I have a question. I got to thinking and I am going to need more pullets/hens because the three roosters when they mature might fight over just three hens. If anyone hatches too many pullets I will gladly take them to keep my roosters from fighting over them. I am not getting mine until April so hopefully by then I will have lucked out and ran across a seller of some.

 

[TxFlowers]

I will be getting three pair and I have a question. I got to thinking and I am going to need more pullets/hens because the three roosters when they mature might fight over just three hens. If anyone hatches too many pullets I will gladly take them to keep my roosters from fighting over them. I am not getting mine until April so hopefully by then I will have lucked out and ran across a seller of some.

what I would be concerned about with just three pullets for that many roos is overbreeding of the girls resulting in injury or even death. The roos may fight but they will likely become very competitive in their breeding behavior and hurt the girls. The roos can tear their skin severely over their backs and you not even realize what has happened because of the feathers/wings covering it. I had a New Hampshire pullet that was favored by several of my roos in my free ranging group. One day I noticed she acted like she wasn't feeling well and I caught her. On examination I found her sides under her wings had been totally skinned! you wouldn't have seen it just by looking at her because the wings and back feathers covered it. Two months of caging along with antibiotics has gotten her healed but she is badly scarred and will not be able to be in a group like that anymore.

For three girls you really need just one roo. Even just one roo for 6 or so pullets. I would suggest you pick the roo you like best and put him with the three and then save your second favorite and maybe your 3rd as a back up and keep them penned away from the breeding group. You could try to keep two roos with the pullets and separate if they fight or injure the pullets but it's best to prevent that from happening in the first place by keeping just one roo in there at a time. Later you could switch out roos with your breeding group to get more genetic diversity in your chicks but still best to keep just one roo in with the girls at a time.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I have a question about my SFH. I'm directing this at folks that have more than one breed of chicken.

All of my SFH have been raised by a broody. The broody is a hatchery red girl. "Mamma" keeps her kiddos for about 13-14 weeks before ditching them. The first batch with SFH was Emma, "Mister" the roo, "Miss Grey" and another bird we think is a BA. The chicken herd that they were hatched into was: All hatchery girls: 2 BR, 2 Reds, 2 EEs.




Miss Gray was always the bottom of the pecking order and a "runner". She never stood up for herself but ran from the slightest provocation. She was killed by a hawk last fall.

Miss Gray

Emma is peace-loving...but she will be a little aggressive toward the "lowers". Still more of an "avoidance" girl.

Emma:




Now I have 3 kiddos that are 23 weeks old. They were also hatched and raised by the same broody red girl. 2 are SFH/BA mix; one is SFH - Miss Gray's daughter. She looks just like her bio-mom but has a larger crest (2 crested parents unfortunately).



Miss Gray's daughter behaves just like she did and has quickly become the bottom of the pecking order. Doesn't stand up for herself. Runs. She is currently "cooped up" with Emma and the 2 mixes.
MissGray's daughter sunning herself today:

HAVE You FOUND THAT THE SFH END UP AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PECKING ORDER IF THERE IS MORE THAN ONE BREED?

She is the only one that is light colored...could be the color difference. Either way, it seems the Swedes don't stand up for themselves the same way the others do. And these gray girls are the worst.

Do you think it would be different if they were housed with SFH only?

One other thing...
Both Miss Gray and her daughter did the normal chest-bumping when they were younger and looked like they were going to stand up for themselves like normal. At some point that changed.

 

[lawatt]

HAVE You FOUND THAT THE SFH END UP AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PECKING ORDER IF THERE IS MORE THAN ONE BREED?

I only have one SFH pullet right now, she's about 8-9 months old & has already been broody & raised three chicks -- but she stands up for herself just fine in her mixed-breed pen (one isbar, two isbar/marans crosses, and one araucana, who is by far the lowest in the pecking order)

 

[insanity]

I will be getting three pair and I have a question. I got to thinking and I am going to need more pullets/hens because the three roosters when they mature might fight over just three hens. If anyone hatches too many pullets I will gladly take them to keep my roosters from fighting over them. I am not getting mine until April so hopefully by then I will have lucked out and ran across a seller of some.

You could also add non SFH pullets to your flock just to increase your female ratio.A breed that lays a blue or darker brown egg so when choosing what to hatch egg ID would be simple. People love buying the blue eggs for eating.

 

[Trooper Man]

I think the best thing for me to do is find some extra SFH hens or pullets to put with my three pair I will be getting. Surely by March or April someone will have some to sell.

 

[ki4got]

HAVE You FOUND THAT THE SFH END UP AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PECKING ORDER IF THERE IS MORE THAN ONE BREED?

She is the only one that is light colored...could be the color difference. Either way, it seems the Swedes don't stand up for themselves the same way the others do. And these gray girls are the worst.

Do you think it would be different if they were housed with SFH only?

One other thing...
Both Miss Gray and her daughter did the normal chest-bumping when they were younger and looked like they were going to stand up for themselves like normal. At some point that changed.

NOPE! my sfh roo (Gunnarsson) was broody raised by my buff orp along with a my mille sfh girl, a red dorking and ee and they are somewhere mid-flock. the 2 older girls I got when they were about 2-3 months old and are also mid-flock.

the low birds in the free range flock are my newer silver grey dorking roo and currently buffy (orp broody momma) and one of the dorking girls, but it's dynamic and changes constantly.

the low roo solved his problems in the horse trailer, by deciding to live with the sfh. LOL moved himself one day to their pen for bedtime (they're also free ranging currently) and it's a bit crowded but they seem to get along just fine so I've left him since it gives him someone to snuggle during the cold nights. buffy and her Dorking buddy also snuggle so I don't worry about getting cold.

for your sfh girl, I might say that some of the others may be TOO dominant, or they're maybe in too small of a group for the dynamics to change much. I also have a number of roos ranging, and each chooses his girls which gives them a bit of status, depending which roos are on top at the time. the low girls I have are also attached to the low roo even tho they don't roost at night together. each roo seems to have 2-3 girls (except the blrw boys who are still bachelors).