Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[Leahs Mom]

And here's Miss Sweden at 9 mos. too

 

[minihorse927]

Here's my newest little Swede at 5 weeks old. And the proud parents: Miss Gray at 9 mos. "Mister" at 9 mos.

I LOVE the color on that pullet! Where did you get her from?

 

[Leahs Mom]

Miss Sweden and Miss Gray were hatched by babymakes6 in Indiana. She had eggs from KyTinpusher and Bhep at the time. The rooster was hatched by my broody and was from Bhep.

I only had one of my eggs hatch and babymakes6 had some that hatched within a day so I got the others and placed under mom with the one that did hatch. They hatched around December 30, 2012.

 

[Leahs Mom]

And this was a bit of a surprise...thought I was getting Miss Sweden's egg to hatch but got Miss Gray's instead. I didn't want to breed crest to crest. In fact, I don't even LIKE crests that much....I prefer non-crested

 

[minihorse927]

And this was a bit of a surprise...thought I was getting Miss Sweden's egg to hatch but got Miss Gray's instead.  I didn't want to breed crest to crest.  In fact, I don't even LIKE crests that much....I prefer non-crested  

that's kind of funny I love crested Birds for some reason. I've got birds from BHEP and KYtin so maybe I can hatch one that color. if I had an extra uncrested pullet I'd try to con you into trading me.

 

[ki4got]

Miss Sweden and Miss Gray were hatched by babymakes6 in Indiana. She had eggs from KyTinpusher and Bhep at the time. The rooster was hatched by my broody and was from Bhep.

I only had one of my eggs hatch and babymakes6 had some that hatched within a day so I got the others and placed under mom with the one that did hatch. They hatched around December 30, 2012.

that's interesting... I've been wondering where my birds originated. I got them as youngsters from Kimberly in AL, (who no longer has sfh because they were too aggressive LOL)

your blue girl is nearly identical to mine, minus the crest... her sister has the crest, and my crested roo I found a home for is also much like yours...

they're still pouting, I think... since I penned them 2 months ago, they've quit laying entirely. unless someone's eating all the eggs, but i'm not finding anything.

 

[minihorse927]

Dang it, I love that one too ki4got! If anyones birds come up missing you know where they went. Lol. My blue crested pullet is just plain ole blue and white. No lovely light chocolate color mixed in.

 

[OHfarmerswife]

agreed, there is no formal standard for the SFH. BUT, there are certain requirements of the SFH that have to be met, in order for the bird to BE a SFH...  and in order to keep the breed viable, some choices have to be made, ESPECIALLY since we have such a small gene pool...

yes, over the last 500 years the sfh has evolved into what it is, but less than 50 years ago, it was nearly extinct. so since then people have been working to restore it, and making selections to continue the breed's survival. they may not be selections for anything obvious to anyone but the person breeding them, but it's doubtful they let all roosters live with all the hens and never ate one of them... and as such, that is 'breeding' not natural selection.

as far as split wing, it is considered a fault in every recognized breed. it is also present in nearly every breed I've ever encountered. some more so than others.  with such a limited gene pool, yes the split wing seems to be more common, but it's still a fault. just as having a sfh that has no mottling, or a pea comb or rose comb would be considered a fault.

every breed has evolved through a series of selections, whether consciously made or not...

what we (as a group of sfh breeders) have come to a consensus with, is a series of things the sfh IS, and things it isn't...

Hens weigh 4-4.5 poounds, cocks 5-6 pounds.

 
They have a medium sized single comb, which may be wavy in crested birds. Wattles are well developed.
 
The eyes are orange to red and round.
 
Legs are yellow. On some darker colored birds, the legs may be dusky or mottled, but the bottoms of their feet should still be yellow.
 
They may be crested or uncrested, but the crest should not be overly large so as to impair vision from above or behind.
 
The roosters have a nicely rounded breast and upright stance (some describe it as 'proud'). Hens also have a nicely rounded breast but a more horizontal stance typically. Tails on both sexes should be raised above the level of the back and well spread. (pinched tails indicate a narrow frame, poor laying ability and smaller eggs)
 
The base coloration of the birds will vary, including red, orange, brown, black, blue and yellow.
 

Both sexes will display varying degrees of mottling (ie the flowers they are known for).
 
Things considered faults would be split wing (missing the first or axial flight feather), side sprigs on the comb, wry tail or dropped tail...  if the only sfh you have has faults, I would say use it until you can replace it with something better. yes they are faults, yes they are insidious and stick around for generations, but they can be worked with if the bird is otherwise exceptional.  if it's got more than one fault, I'd say pass on by and find another bird, personally.

thanks ki4got that was very helpful for me

 

[ki4got]

Dang it, I love that one too ki4got! If anyones birds come up missing you know where they went. Lol. My blue crested pullet is just plain ole blue and white. No lovely light chocolate color mixed in.

mine is also blue and white... that brownish cast was the camera. look at the pic just below and you'll see her with the other girl (behind and to the right)... that is her true coloration. I hadn't noticed it was brownish till you said something.

I color-corrected the pic (removed the color cast). think it was because of the flash (you can see her shadow on the tote behind)... she does have a few brown feathers in her hackle, called 'leakage' in some breeds. not a biggie with sfh tho. LOL

 

[minihorse927]

Yep, that's what my crested pullet looks like. Darn, I loved that brownish cast to the blue look!