Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[Bulldogma]

bulldogma can vouch for my methods.

got 8 going right now that traveled by car for 2 hours to get here even!

LOL - True, dat! (as my sis in Louisiana says.)

 

[SunnySkies]

i don't do ANYTHING...  i put them in the incubator, candle once or twice along the way (7 and 14 days usually). candle again before i put them in the hatcher and open when they start talking to me.

plus another 20 or so of old and chilled/frozen eggs found outside on a warmer day. LOL i set 36 of them, 20 are still going. and here i figured maybe the 4 or 5 newest only.

plain old hovabator with fan and auto turner. i dry incubate everything, only putting water in the hatcher to get it up to 50-60%. once they start hatching it'll jump over 70 for short periods until they dry off.  if i open the hatcher to pull out chicks, i squirt some hot water onto the paper towel lining the bottom to quickly replace the humidity lost when i opened it.

bulldogma can vouch for my methods.    got 8 going right now that traveled by car for 2 hours to get here even!

That is pretty much what I do too. Almost exactly. I have to add water twice a day, as I noticed the fan dries the bator out, so during day 1-18, I pour water into some shallow cups on the bottom. At lockdown, I lay some soaked sponges in there and squirt warm water on them as well as into the cups to keep the humidity up. Local eggs hatch like gangbusters. Shipped eggs, not well.

Hopefully I have some girls in here and can hatch some of my own, but I don't have some of these colors. Le sigh.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I'm wondering about the shipping too. I had 4 from BHep and only 1 hatch. At least 3 were fully developed. I let them rest 24 hours before placing. This WAS under a broody, however, not in bator. My guess is rough handling in shipping but I'm brand new.

I hate shipping. I'd rather pick up and transport myself if I were close enough.

 

[BHep]

I have great hatches at home but have had lots of people saying the same thing about the chicks getting to lock down and then quitting. I am starting to realize just how sensitive they are. Add to my list of Serama, Silkie, Lakenvelders & Polish. I can hatch these exact breeds from home like crazy but shipped eggs not so good.

Another problem I have is the chicks hatch, then die within days.

Not just one or two...batches. Aggravating

No matter how I brood them. Other breeds are healthy and strong, others not so good.


On a happy note: I set 6 SFH eggs and 5 developed and hatched yesterday. Can't wait to see how they feather out. 4 are brownish and one black and yellow. These are the first I hatched this year. I have people looking for chicks and young pullets and I want to add some to my layer flock for pretty. Plus they are great layers.

 

[SunnySkies]

So, perhaps we need to set up regions, so nobody has to drive too, too far, have a Swedish party and trade eggs:lol

BHep, I've noticed that too. I got a couple SFH chicks a couple weeks ago, and within 24 hours, one looked awful and crashed and burned. I brooded them exactly like all my others, and the only chick losses we had had up to that point was an accident (kid dropped a chick) and one other sudden death but was some weeks old (I suspected at the time it got too cold). Bizarre.

 

[Kimbroe1981]

Easter Hatch a long! I've decided to join this one. This will by my first hatch with my own chickens. Maybe Keni will be laying by then and I can set a couple SFH eggs. That would just be awesome!! I have no room for more chicks (unless theres a SFH in there), I'll just have to sell all these guys/gals!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/741090/the-4th-annual-byc-easter-hatch-a-long/1710#post_10520123

 

[ki4got]

I'm wondering about the shipping too. I had 4 from BHep and only 1 hatch. At least 3 were fully developed. I let them rest 24 hours before placing. This WAS under a broody, however, not in bator. My guess is rough handling in shipping but I'm brand new.

I hate shipping. I'd rather pick up and transport myself if I were close enough.

if 3 were fully developed but didn't hatch, my first guess would be your humidity was too high during incubation...

i had a shipment of 30+ eggs last year from her, hatched 20+ without issues. the only ones that didn't hatch were the clears.

 

[ki4got]

So, perhaps we need to set up regions, so nobody has to drive too, too far, have a Swedish party and trade eggs:lol

BHep, I've noticed that too. I got a couple SFH chicks a couple weeks ago, and within 24 hours, one looked awful and crashed and burned. I brooded them exactly like all my others, and the only chick losses we had had up to that point was an accident (kid dropped a chick) and one other sudden death but was some weeks old (I suspected at the time it got too cold). Bizarre.

if you read back, i think it was bulldogma that suggested the initial losses might be due to vitamin deficiencies. she brought a couple of hers back around using poly-fi-sol liquid vitamins for children. i've got some as well for 'just in case'. it could be that the birds have some vitamin or mineral on their native ground that's deficient here in the states. who knows...

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
No humidity adjustments with a broody hen

 

[ki4got]

Quote: No humidity adjustments with a broody hen

yeah, sorry i didn't catch that part until i'd already posted... had 3 conversations going on at once...