Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[Kikwi]

For those who keep track of such things: my SFH pullet laid her first egg yesterday at exactly 24 weeks old! YAY! It's a lovely pale beige. She gave me another one this morning. I hope she keeps this up!

 

[SunnySkies]

Always fun when you see that first egg

I put 11 eggs in the bator yesterday. Hope they do well.

 

[Bernie56]

Always fun when you see that first egg

I put 11 eggs in the bator yesterday. Hope they do well.

Good luck! I am looking forward to hatching more this spring. I didn't get to hatch many last season because I was traveling for work, and had to rely on caretakers for the chickens. No travels planned this year, so I am ready to get started! I am working with more colors this year too so am excited to see what surprises we get. Just got all of my NPIP paperwork as well, so I hopefully will sell eggs & and started birds this year.

 

[SunnySkies]

Good luck! I am looking forward to hatching more this spring. I didn't get to hatch many last season because I was traveling for work, and had to rely  on caretakers for the chickens. No travels planned this year, so I am ready to get started! I am working with more colors this year too so am excited to see what surprises we get. Just got all of my NPIP paperwork as well, so I hopefully will sell eggs & and started birds this year.

Part of me is going, eek, are you nuts hatching eggs for January...I don't want chicks in the house all winter, and it's snowy and cold out. But it's so fun, and especially with this breed...it's like opening a box of chocolates and seeing what you get ! LOL

 

[Bernie56]

Part of me is going, eek, are you nuts hatching eggs for January...I don't want chicks in the house all winter, and it's snowy and cold out. But it's so fun, and especially with this breed...it's like opening a box of chocolates and seeing what you get ! LOL

Yeah, its a little early for me. I don't like to hatch before the holidays. There's always to much activity then, and this year is even worse as in addition to Christmas stuff I am working on a cradle for our new granddaughter who is due on Jan. 20th. I like to set eggs in Jan. for a Feb. hatch, that way the new pullets start laying by August/Sept., and will usually lay well through the winter months.

 

[ki4got]

LOL and I'm the total opposite... i'll hatch year round. once the chicks are fully feathered they usually go outside to a heated house and once they're acclimated to the cold the heat is discontinued and given to the next bunch going out.

I had been free ranging them as soon as possible, but with predator losses I don't want to take a chance on these guys since most will be for sale in the spring.

 

[SunnySkies]

I decided to join the NYD hatchalong, or I'd never be doing this. I usually move them to the garage after a week or two, not having an outbuilding, but it has been so cold that I'm thinking that isn't a good idea. I might just sell them ASAP as straight run and then hold off on hatching again until February or March, just because of this really cold and awful weather. I wanted to have a bunch of various ages around by the spring swap here in my state.

 

[madamwlf]

I decided to join the NYD hatchalong, or I'd never be doing this. I usually move them to the garage after a week or two, not having an outbuilding, but it has been so cold that I'm thinking that isn't a good idea. I might just sell them ASAP as straight run and then hold off on hatching again until February or March, just because of this really cold and awful weather. I wanted to have a bunch of various ages around by the spring swap here in my state.

Hatch them and I can raise them if you wish. I have a basement brooder that will be empty soon. I'm kicking the chicks out to a coop with heat.

 

[Bulldogma]

In the past folks have asked if SFH roosters get along with each other. Here's a short, fuzzy video of my 3 SFH roos happily free ranging together. Sorenson (my red/white roo) is still the dominant roo. Mace is second in command and Blue (a son of Bazinga) is the low man on the totem pole. But - they all know their place and do just great together.

You can also see why Mace is my best roo. Blue is younger but looking pretty darn good too. Sorenson is just a really great guy, and while he doesn't have the conformation and quality of the other two, he does an amazing job of keeping order in the chicken yard!

 

[HaplessRunner]

Nice video!

Of the chicks that I got from you and Karen in September, I have two red/white cockerels, one mille fleur cockerel and a red/white pullet. Of the hatching eggs that I got from your, two SFH eggs that hatched. One is a an evenly mottled brown-red and white cockerel. The other appears to be and acts like a pullet. This pullet was blue and white tuxedo colored at hatch. Since that time she maintained some blue feathering but growing some red. Interestingly, most of her blue feathers now appear to be red laced blue feathers.

When things warm up some I will try to get some more pictures.