Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[OldChurchEggery1]

My little chicken helper and I candled the eggs we set back on the 8th. All 4 of the SFH test eggs are developing and we could see the embryos wriggling around inside. I was surprised at how much detail we could see inside because I'm used to trying to peer through dark brown or blue shells. I was able to point out to my daughter how big the head was relative to the body and she could tell that the largest dark spot was the eye. We use an LED spotlight and funnel to candle the eggs. It works well because the LED doesn't heat up no matter how many eggs I need to candle.

 

[insanity]

Please anyone tell me where I can order day old or young Swedish flower hen chicks. Not eggs. And please don't say green fire farm or our fly babies. Our fly babies scammed me last year and free fire is way to expensive

PapaBrooder here on byc carries SFH and I've always been happy with his prices,birds,and customer service.

 

[Gonetothebirds]

PapaBrooder here on byc carries SFH and I've always been happy with his prices,birds,and customer service.

The problem with him is he has not tested his flock. So can not ship to most states. And should not be.. .

 

[FeyRaine]

Personally, I don't like the idea of "mixing" breeds. Unfortunately I think that there are probably far more mixed breeds being sold as purebred birds than people imagine.(the "blue with gold hackles and absolutely no white pullet", recently referenced, IMO is probably an example) The Swedish Flower Hen breed is so new here in the states the numbers are still relatively low. I think as responsible breeders, we should work within the breed, and cull aggressively, anything that doesn't conform to what we "expect" in a Swedish Flower Hen. IF each breeder mixed in one or two hens, it wouldn't be long before the breed, in the US, was just a mish mash of mixed breeds. That's why I have an issue with the Landrace idea. If people think "its not a breed" they can do "whatever"....! I have seen SFH's described (on this thread) as "Mutts". I would hate to see that become a reality. That being said, I must confess that I have, in the past, crossed my SFH's with my Ameraucanas to produce olive egger EE's, but they reside in the EE pen as EE's and are very easy to differentiate by egg color. That would not be the case in another breed. Just my $.02 worth.

@Bernie56

I agree on the need to keep the SFH being sold as pure PURE , same w/ any breed really, it is just about being clear & honest, there are reasons to make crosses (like say sex-link chicks for example, or mutt EE/OE colored egg layers) and ppl who want those and it is all fine if ppl are up front clear and honest, but birds sold "as" whatever must be what there are stated as being.

I'm the one who had that bird referenced, the quad she came from was definitely pure and all very lovely standard looking SFH, & the 6 others who hatched w/ her were all "standard" looking, I believe if she hadn't gotten eaten by a fox she would have had proper mottling when she went through her first molt, she may even have had _some_ very slight mottling that I didn't notice at 6 months (she was very light and my eyesight is not 100% she appeared sold to me at 4 ft distance but I never picked her up w/ granny glasses on and really checked her over for white as at the time I didn't realize how odd her coloration was, I just thought it was pretty). I did once see a reference to something like "gold phase" or "silver phase" as a rare but ok pattern in SFH that was back over the summer and I didn't make note of where I read it b/c again I just didn't realize how odd it was then, I was just reading over websites after googling the breed saw that wording reference w/o any photo and thought oh, ok must be what mine is. If anyone comes across such a reference for an alternate/ recessive but known color pattern please let me know, thanks.

 

[insanity]

The problem with him is he has not tested his flock. So can not ship to most states. And should not be.. .

Your right, I'm in Wyo so it isn't a law I have to worry about. I had not noticed.

 

[HaplessRunner]

Just for folks information. This is a composite of all the States laws regarding the importation of poultry, including hatching eggs. This may not be up to date and can change but it is still very good information.

http://www.guineafowl.com/GeneralStore/regulations.htm


Bottom line: It is illegal in almost every State in the country to import poultry or hatching eggs from a non-NPIP flock.

 

[HaplessRunner]

To add some comedy to this issue, I've been waiting all week for the two (count em, two!) people in Nebraska responsible for NPIP to return from some sort of convention or what-not. They literally can tell me nothing without those two people being in the office. )

I hear your pain! I have contacts with some folks in Texas who have the same complaints. That is why, I decided to become an NPIP tester such that I was not at the mercy of someone else's schedule.

 

[dretd]

Just for folks information. This is a composite of all the States laws regarding the importation of poultry, including hatching eggs. This may not be up to date and can change but it is still very good information.

http://www.guineafowl.com/GeneralStore/regulations.htm


Bottom line: It is illegal in almost every State in the country to import poultry or hatching eggs from a non-NPIP flock.

I spent a good deal of time talking to folks in my state about the NPIP program. First I called the State Office's gatekeeper who knows nothing about poultry so she shunted me to the livestock person. He said that he knew nothing about poultry and I should contact the Poultry vet at CSU who is in charge of the program. So the State Agency in charge of the program knows nothing about the NPIP regulations. That should tell you something about enforcement right there.

The Vet shunted me to the NPIP tester who does know about the program. When I asked about importing non-NPIP eggs into the state, she said that no one is really assigned to be the gate keeper so it would be very unusual to get eggs stopped. Plus the NPIP form that accompanies the eggs she said is for the buyer and is usually attached to the inside of the box to keep it safe--no one has access to it at the PO..

The NPIP program is a Federally mandated program but each state is left up to their own devices on how to implement the program. Some states put very little effort and resources into the program and others are very aggressive about monitoring. There are 5 states (like Hawaii) that have layered their own regulation on top of NPIP and the shipper must get special permits that accompany the eggs in addition to the NPIP form or they will return to sender. Because each state is on their own, they have variable costs to become NPIP. In CO it is a flat $12 fee and they come in and test every bird in your flock--all birds must be 16 weeks old for testing. In some states its free and in others there is a fee per bird. I seem to recall CA is one of those states so it would be cost-prohibitive for a breeder like Papabrooder to get his flock tested. I have received eggs from 6 different breeders and only 1 was NPIP. Hand carried one through TSA and they had no idea (this was before I researched it so neither did I).

I did ask what the penalty was for non-compliance and basically in CO there isn't one. Other states may be different. If you are not NPIP yourself and are in a state with lax enforcement, she said importing non-NPIP eggs most likely happens all the time. So the bottom line is buyer beware--beware of your own state's regulations and beware that if you are NPIP yourself as you must only have tested or NPIP birds join your flock to keep your NPIP status.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Here is a thought/question re Broodiness in SFH --

I've noticed in other breeds that the birds raised by a broody tend to be better broodys themselves,
so perhaps the apparent lack of broodiness in SFH is at least partly b/c the first several generations here in the US have been almost entirely incubator hatched.

Does anyone have any SFH who were broody hatched/raised? and if so what are those hens like, do they go broody more than ones who never had a broody mama to show them how it is done?

b/c I'm really thinking a land race breed _must_ have broodiness still in their traits, otherwise they would have died out already, right?

My SFH are all raised by broody. But the broody was not a SFH.

So far I haven't had a SFH go broody but I haven't had them very long. My oldest pullet is 1 year old and a young girl of 24 weeks.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
that is something we're working on, if you want to help us develop it... Leigh was working on some basic outline diagrams for roo and hen to give an idea on shape, and some basics of what a sfh MUST have... medium sized single comb, yellow legs (sometimes dusky in darker birds, but always yellow feet) orange to red eyes. if they're crested, then a curvy crest is OK. that sort of thing... things we see in all pure sfh.

you can see what I've got so far (for type) on the website linked below.

my own sfh may or may not be pure, but I'll know that when they hatch, for 2 simple things. either they'll be yellow legged and single combed (pure) or they'll have 5 toes, dark or pink legs or any other comb but single, or they'll have feathers on their legs... Dorkings have 5 toes, pink skin single comb, Wyandottes yellow legs rose comb, and my EE roo has feathered shanks/crest, dark legs and pea comb. but i'm not selling sfh eggs, and won't sell chicks unless they have single combs and 4 toes. older chicks will mottle, which none of the other breeds carry, so that's another teller.

I've got my first sfh due to hatch tomorrow (separate bator from yours Leigh, don't worry! LOL)