Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[minihorse927]

Gee... if only people who bred cattle and sheep would understand this.

I REALLY wish someone would tell all those so called horse breeders this too! "Ooohh, let's get a unregistered grade stallion and breed foals and we can make money! Yeah we won't put the proper care and time into the mares and foals but we will make money."

 

[RedRidge]

Quote: My personal opinion (for what it's worth)...
I believe it might be a good idea to "rank" faults so that everyone is on the same page.
IOW, sprigs or carnation comb wouldn't be near as serious of a fault as a split wing.
Just one example.
We all work to breed toward perfection... but let's face it, the perfect bird doesn't exist.

Now... from another perspective....
We've bred show sheep for years. I'm a big fan of line breeding, but also know when it's wise to go "outside" a line.
None of us have enough genetics to go either way with SFH yet, but the point is, almost always when we go "outside a line", we breed to something that has a fault.
WHY? Because that same animal has a quality that is so high on the perfection standard that we need to use it to improve that quality in our own line.
But what about the faulty trait that comes with the high quality trait?
That's where responsible breeding comes in... it's a combination of all the right genetics, but it's also throwing mud against a wall and seeing what sticks.
In my opinion, we are too early in the game to throw the baby out with the bath water.
I say we call carnations and/or sprigs a "fault" to be bred out... but culling is different than breeding out. It's a fault but not as serious a fault as other faults.

Genetics 401... Not every animal in my barn is a show animal... but every animal when crossed with the correct complimentary animal "could" produce a show animal.
You have to take it a generation at a time and as long as each generation is an improvement on it's parents, then you are doing something right.

 

[ki4got]

Quote: My personal opinion (for what it's worth)...
I believe it might be a good idea to "rank" faults so that everyone is on the same page.
IOW, sprigs or carnation comb wouldn't be near as serious of a fault as a split wing.
Just one example.
We all work to breed toward perfection... but let's face it, the perfect bird doesn't exist.

Now... from another perspective....
We've bred show sheep for years. I'm a big fan of line breeding, but also know when it's wise to go "outside" a line.
None of us have enough genetics to go either way with SFH yet, but the point is, almost always when we go "outside a line", we breed to something that has a fault.
WHY? Because that same animal has a quality that is so high on the perfection standard that we need to use it to improve that quality in our own line.
But what about the faulty trait that comes with the high quality trait?
That's where responsible breeding comes in... it's a combination of all the right genetics, but it's also throwing mud against a wall and seeing what sticks.
In my opinion, we are too early in the game to throw the baby out with the bath water.
I say we call carnations and/or sprigs a "fault" to be bred out... but culling is different than breeding out. It's a fault but not as serious a fault as other faults.

Genetics 401... Not every animal in my barn is a show animal... but every animal when crossed with the correct complimentary animal "could" produce a show animal.
You have to take it a generation at a time and as long as each generation is an improvement on it's parents, then you are doing something right.
if you've got a copy of the APA standard, the best thing to do is read any breed's standard. usually the first thing on the list is size. every breed has a specific weight range for pullets/hens/cockerels/cocks... next on the list is type. what the bird's overall shape should be, including wing and tail carriage, stature (upright vs horizontal stance). then come more minor things like combs and color (though in SFH that is not an issue as long as they're mottled)...

 

[RedRidge]

Numbered leg bandettes? What size are most folks needing for their SFH hens and roos?

 

[ki4got]

Numbered leg bandettes? What size are most folks needing for their SFH hens and roos?

sorry, I use wing bands for individual numbering and colored spiral bands if I need to tell birds apart. but so far all my sfh are unique so there's no need... on my Dorkings I use size 11. I think their legs are pretty close to the same size.

the only possible difference would be if the 11 is big enough to slip over the back toe. with the dorking's extra toe, that's not a problem.

 

[SunnySkies]

HaplessRunner - High Water Hill Farm, Lovettsville, VA (near VA-MD-WV border) (Sorry - could not get this to work right from my office computer)

I did not realize you are so close to me! A bit over an hour perhaps. Maybe we can trade eggs at some point.

A little update....I got the initial report on my dead SFH roo. Negative on all tests, including MG and MS. There was no mention of AI though, which surprised me. The actual necropsy report is still pending, as they are always overworked in the state lab here, more so since closing one branch a few years ago, despite dumping some services, such as pet animal necropsies. So it is still a mystery. But I am very relieved about the negative MG and MS tests....so maybe I don't have mycoplasma of any sort in my flock.

ETA: Wasp is MUCH better. I gave everyone in the family squirt guns. I told the kids to play in the front yard and not the back. He took up with the two pullets who previously were scared of him, which has helped. I found his harem IN the woods the other day, to my horror. He hasn't charged anyone in some days. He might get to live here now. I was about to put him on CL for $35, but I'll wait and see...I have 2 similarly colored younger roosters that might turn out to be more what I'm looking for as far as size and have no sprigs. He has a sprig.

 

[HaplessRunner]

That would be great! My SFH flock is in the starting mode so short on pullets but have a couple and could use some more. Since I am not that far from you, SunnySkies, and live almost on the MD-VA border, I subscribed to the MD thread and post there too.

 

[chiques chicks]

That would be great! My SFH flock is in the starting mode so short on pullets but have a couple and could use some more. Since I am not that far from you, SunnySkies, and live almost on the MD-VA border, I subscribed to the MD thread and post there too.

if you are anywhere close to I-81, it looks like you are probably within about two hours of me as well! I know its about two hours to the rest stop on top of the hill in WV from here, lol.

 

[SunnySkies]

That would be great! My SFH flock is in the starting mode so short on pullets but have a couple and could use some more. Since I am not that far from you, SunnySkies, and live almost on the MD-VA border, I subscribed to the MD thread and post there too.

if you are anywhere close to I-81, it looks like you are probably within about two hours of me as well! I know its about two hours to the rest stop on top of the hill in WV from here, lol.

I might not have eggs to trade until next year, so we all have plenty of time to get off the ground. I'm still waiting to get past pullet eggs and trying to figure out how I want to confine my breeding groups. But maybe next spring we should all meet up somewhere off 81 and swap eggs or chicks, lol.

 

[KYTinpusher]

If anyone wants SFH eggs, I have some available to ship today https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/754077/just-in-time-hatching-egg-auction-and-bin-thread/1650#post_11910458