Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[PugBug]

From the information I have read about the breed here in the Uk is that the SFH is a landrace breed which means it has been developed by natural, local processes. This is what makes it special and different from other formal breeds that are bred to a particular standard or purpose. Each bird is very different. Why does it have to be a recognised breed? Don't you think that is going to change what is special about these birds?

I agree with you on this! I have no problem having them as a 'recognized' breed- IF they would just recognize them for what they are and not try to change them- that is the beauty of the breed!

 

[jbarrett]

I agree with you on this! I have no problem having them as a 'recognized' breed- IF they would just recognize them for what they are and not try to change them- that is the beauty of the breed!

Im not trying to change them at all i dont see why you guys think i am..... All recognizing this breed will change is we would be allowed to show and get rewarded, and we can breed them to help their population and help them spread to more people who have desire to help conserve the breed, that is all it will do, like i said i fail to see how that is going to change the breeds beauty! please explain your side, thanks so i can take it into consideration

 

[KYTinpusher]

Quote: X2

 

[TarheelBirdy]

Im not trying to change them at all i dont see why you guys think i am..... All recognizing this breed will change is we would be allowed to show and get rewarded, and we can breed them to help their population and help them spread to more people who have desire to help conserve the breed, that is all it will do, like i said i fail to see how that is going to change the breeds beauty! please explain your side, thanks so i can take it into consideration

Don't get discouraged. Remember...if it's worth doing, you will have to hit some brick walls. The more questions you have to answer, the better you get at it. Keep on doing what you're doing. Be always ethical. Realize that what you do affects so many honest, hard-working people.

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

Here's pics of my new batch of 8. I ended up with 3 orange, 2 brown(one clearly crested), 1 yellow w/ light blue, 1 dark blue w/ yellow, and a blue w/ brown head!





Haha, the 3 orange ones look like they're gossiping!


Getting sleepy...


and down!

 

[PugBug]

Im not trying to change them at all i dont see why you guys think i am..... All recognizing this breed will change is we would be allowed to show and get rewarded, and we can breed them to help their population and help them spread to more people who have desire to help conserve the breed, that is all it will do, like i said i fail to see how that is going to change the breeds beauty! please explain your side, thanks so i can take it into consideration

I was not saying you were trying to change them. The only thing that concerns me is that it seems most times when people start setting 'standards' about what they think a certain breed should be or look like, it usually ends up changing how that animal naturally evolved & then we loose the natural beauty that drew us to it to begin with. These birds have survived in spite of people, the Swedish government & the harsh climates. Now that they have been 'rediscovered', I hear all this discussion about what to breed into & out of them. I feel if it's inherently in the breed who are we to cull it from them just to fit what we think looks good or not? This breed is part of my husband's & his family's heritage, I suppose that is why I feel so strongly about it. I am all for getting recognition for the breed, as long as it's recognized for what it is- not what people think it should be. Like the old saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"

 

[PugBug]

Here's pics of my new batch of 8. I ended up with 3 orange, 2 brown(one clearly crested), 1 yellow w/ light blue, 1 dark blue w/ yellow, and a blue w/ brown head!





Haha, the 3 orange ones look like they're gossiping!


Getting sleepy...


and down!

They are beautiful!

 

[missnu01]

As soon as a breed is required to fit a standard it can help but end up changed because of the necessity to fit the description...If only examples that look an exact certain way are bred it starts to change anything after awhile...and not always for the better. Just ask anyone that has ever spent time with bulldogs...Oh yeah the smushed in little faces are cute, but they cause these dogs some serious issues because people always want to go one better.."well this dog's face is almost inverted---I'll use them in my breeding so that the puppies faces are even flatter. Like poor feather blinded silkies that can't see where they are going just so they will look floofier.

 

[Bernie56]

Im not trying to change them at all i dont see why you guys think i am..... All recognizing this breed will change is we would be allowed to show and get rewarded, and we can breed them to help their population and help them spread to more people who have desire to help conserve the breed, that is all it will do, like i said i fail to see how that is going to change the breeds beauty! please explain your side, thanks so i can take it into consideration

I will post here... with reservations. People feel very strongly about this issue, as do I. First let me say that I don't think anyone who frequents this site continues to visit this site because they "can't stand those ugly speckled chickens. What can we do to change them and make them beautiful?" We ALL love them for what they are, as they are!

Now.... since we all agree, (hopefully), the question that we are asking is: What can we do to promote this beautiful breed that we all love?
I don't think anyone ever suggested that by working to get the Swedish Flower Hen recognized as a breed, that we were somehow attempting to deconstruct the breed, and create a new animal from it. I, for one, feel relatively certain that jb's interests (bravo! from me) are purely to create an avenue to better enable us to present this beautiful breed to the public. I think that the concept of these hard working viking chickens scratching out a successful living in the bare, deserted, hostile, Swedish wilderness until the first Darwinian ape evolved into a human, and screwed up everything in their lives is pretty silly! I am being sarcastic, but it is to make a point, not to try to offend anyone. Swedish Flower Hens were farm chickens. Meaning that they lived on farms...owned by farmers....and their wives....who were trying to make a living. They were cared for, fed, protected, and heaven forbid... chosen for particular traits that Mr, or Mrs, liked. And they survived.... "in spite of" ? Give me a break!

I have to say that I would be opposed to a "standard of perfection" that called for (choose your color) red/ blue /black background, with 17 white spots, 4 white flights, and 2 black tail feathers... once again sarcasm, but you get my point. A SOP can be as broad, or as narrow, as you make it. If one person decides... It will be narrow. The more folks involved the broader it will be, which brings us back to what jb has asked for ....input from us! Thanks jb..and good luck...you'll need it!

 

[dretd]

I have to say that I would be opposed to a "standard of perfection" that called for (choose your color) red/ blue /black background, with 17 white spots, 4 white flights, and 2 black tail feathers... once again sarcasm, but you get my point. A SOP can be as broad, or as narrow, as you make it.If one person decides... It will be narrow. The more folks involved the broader it will be, which brings us back to what jb has asked for ....input from us! Thanks jb..and good luck...you'll need it!

I am not sure this is true. Cream Legbars are just going through writing their SOP to be recognized by the APA. They are using the British SOP as a template, which states the comb should have 5-7 points. The CL SOP had to pick a single number- they chose 6- because a range was not allowed. They also said they had to choose a single color as the start and any additional colors would have to be added later.