Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[chiques chicks]

I can definitely taste the difference between free range and store meat and eggs. Others I have given it to agree. Even the Cornishx I raised in a large Coop and never free ranged tasted better.
The rooster I gave away last week was taken by an immigrant who hadn't had fresh (non-store) meat in ten years. He truly appreciated the difference.

 

[dretd]

I think so. The eggs seem to taste better from free-ranging chickens too. The meat can be a little stringier but there is much more flavor, in my limited experience. I'm looking forward to comparing a few breeds for flavor/texture over the coming season. There really is nothing to compare to the flavor of a free-ranged home grown chicken raised without hormones or antibiotics. I'll never go back to store bought. Ever. They have one bad day with me. All the rest are good. They're taken good care of, fed really well with FF and fresh organic vegetables plus free access to layer, free ranged with access to bugs and grass.. that's a good life for a chicken, imo. I don't think the same can be said for the meat you can buy at the grocers..

I completely agree about the quality of life and applaud those who can dispatch their own animals. I have no problem killing an animal I have not raised but I am too much of a softy to kill one I know--at least so far. Something I just haev to sort out I guess. Just fyi-its not legal to give hormones to commercial chickens and sell them for meat, but hate all of the antibiotics used in mass production of animals.

 

[PugBug]

I'm in NY and had horrible luck shipping juveniles.. they arrived sick. The chicks shipped much better. I prefer not to ship at all if it can be helped... I'm sure a chain is entirely possible at this point!

I'm going to let mine breed the same way- naturally. All of mine at this time are crested, later I do plan to add some non crested to the flock. My husband is from Sweden, he & his mother have said they mostly saw the crested birds in Sweden. There were some non crested, but not as many as the crested. I know some of the people there have selected to remove the crested from thier flocks.

 

[PugBug]

I think someone was asking about progressive pictures. I have more in the Default Album on my profile page. For the older ones, you'll have to switch to the SFH Album.

I do love the colors of this one!

 

[PugBug]

Chicken Chain:

Copy and paste this post and add your location on the bottom:

Bulldogma - Near Greatna, VA (1 hr from Roanoke, VA / 2 hours from Greensboro, NC / 3 hours from Johnson City, TN)

TarheelBirdy - Liberty, NC (In the Triad area; 15 minutes from Greensboro, NC and Burlington, NC; 1 hr from RDU).

Bernie56 - Fairburn, Ga. (Atlanta metro; near Hartsfeild/Jackson Int. Airport)

jbarrett - Groveland, FL ( 1 hr north of Orlando, 1 hr south of Ocala

pugbug- Independence, La (1 hr from Baton Rouge, 1 1/2 hr from New Orleans)

 

[PugBug]

Sounds like perhaps the SFH is not a good dual purpose bird. Are they prolific layers? Hopefully that will redeem them, unless they are just pretty lawn decoration

They are a duel purpose bird. Supposed to be excellent layers & good meat. I do intend to use mine for both. Yes they are beautiful to look at, but that is not their only purpose.

 

[Overoberyl]

They are a duel purpose bird. Supposed to be excellent layers & good meat. I do intend to use mine for both. Yes they are beautiful to look at, but that is not their only purpose.

What they are supposed to be and what they are in reality might be two different things. A couple people have reported 3.5lbs dressed. Jmo but that doesn't sound like a good dual purpose bird. If I'm going to feed a bird for 6-8 mos, even if it's just my culls, I'd better have something more than 3.5lbs or that's a breed I'll probably be getting out of.

 

[Dahlisgrams]

Quote: The first is the most difficult, at least for me. Don't name them.. it gets easier!

Quote: I love hearing about the Swedish birds and how they're raised. My DH's grandparents are from Sweden and that's part of the appeal for us.

 

[Dahlisgrams]

Quote: Beautiful! I meant to comment earlier but got distracted.. lol!

Chicken Chain:

Copy and paste this post and add your location on the bottom:

Bulldogma - Near Greatna, VA (1 hr from Roanoke, VA / 2 hours from Greensboro, NC / 3 hours from Johnson City, TN)

TarheelBirdy - Liberty, NC (In the Triad area; 15 minutes from Greensboro, NC and Burlington, NC; 1 hr from RDU).

Bernie56 - Fairburn, Ga. (Atlanta metro; near Hartsfeild/Jackson Int. Airport)

jbarrett - Groveland, FL ( 1 hr north of Orlando, 1 hr south of Ocala

pugbug- Independence, La (1 hr from Baton Rouge, 1 1/2 hr from New Orleans)

Dahlisgrams - Eastern Long Island, NY. Fairly convenient access to the Cross Sound Ferry terminal to New London, CT.

 

[Overoberyl]

What they are supposed to be and what they are in reality might be two different things. A couple people have reported 3.5lbs dressed. Jmo but that doesn't sound like a good dual purpose bird. If I'm going to feed a bird for 6-8 mos, even if it's just my culls, I'd better have something more than 3.5lbs or that's a breed I'll probably be getting out of.

And btw an excellent example of this is the "Cream" Legbar...original importers have been selling them as CL, they are all over the US as Cream Legbar, and it turns out almost none of them actually have the cream gene or could even be called Cream Legbar by any standard.