Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[TxFlowers]

If you had a significant number of eggs die off at one time, I would suspect something like bacterial contamination of the incubator or incorrect temps but since it was a week since your last candling it's hard to say how closely they were in age that they died. I find that is an age were I will often lose some. Some are typically lost in first few days. I will see the beginnings of veining then few days later, I see a blood ring. Then there are those that make it a bit longer like in that age range you describe and die. If these are shipped eggs, to lose 7 or so out of your 18 and have the rest hatch, would be a good hatch for shipped. To lose 7 eggs seems like a lot but that's not a big loss from the total on shipped. However if these weren't shipped and the eggs were from healthy well fed hens, I would wonder more about why these died. Again, I would consider some kind of contamination or temp issues. Maybe too high heat. I found out early that if you have those lower priced Styrofoam incubators, you have to be less trustful of what any built in thermometers tell you. I have found them to be significantly off. Even the mercury ones included can be a couple of degrees off. Enough to kill eggs. I calibrate all my thermometers now and rely on a digital lab quality one for my incubators. I trust it before anything else. This is the one I use. Works good and not real expensive

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002NX0VQU/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This thermometer comes in a Celsius version as well as Fahrenheit . The link is to the F version. Be sure you know which you are getting. The batteries lasted months even with me forgetting to turn it off and all of mine were 2/10 of a degree or less off.

 

[wildhorseannie]

Hey Leigh! I think I posted this before, and it's not the best picture, with a half Buff hen trying to steal the limelight...
But this is Lafayette, our 'different' SFH cockerel.

 

[Bulldogma]

I have 6+ shipping in the morning to me. I'm hoping for better results this time but all you can do is hope and keep trying I guess.

Hee-hee-hee... you have 10 eggs on the way! Totally

they get treated well en route!!!!!

Hey Leigh! I think I posted this before, and it's not the best picture, with a half Buff hen trying to steal the limelight...
But this is Lafayette, our 'different' SFH cockerel.

Wowzers!!! He's stunning! Does he have any yellowish-orange anywhere on him? I rather wonder if the same thing is at play with a gene that mutes the red like my girl (from your eggs)??





And by the way - with her unique color, she's one of my favorites!!!!

 

[DeltaBluezTess]

I put some of my Swedes eggs in my Brinsea Adv 20 with humidity pump and got about 80-90% hatch rate....I had a R Com Digital and had maybe 50% rate on the same eggs.

With my shipped eggs I have got 0 out of 12 hatch to over 80% on another set....same seller, packed the same but it was the PO....the box was smashed on one egg so I think the PO dropped it and not one hatch. I got another doz from her and got the 80% hatch.

 

[HaplessRunner]

I put some of my Swedes eggs in my Brinsea Adv 20 with humidity pump and got about 80-90% hatch rate....I had a R Com Digital and had maybe 50% rate on the same eggs.

With my shipped eggs I have got 0 out of 12 hatch to over 80% on another set....same seller, packed the same but it was the PO....the box was smashed on one egg so I think the PO dropped it and not one hatch. I got another doz from her and got the 80% hatch.

I agree. The Post Office and its handling of shipped eggs are the most critical factor in hatch rates for shipped eggs. I have had many egg shipments come with crunched boxes, destroyed air sacks in the eggs, and some eggs just were plain broken in the box.

 

[Laingcroft]

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND many happy hatches in 2014!

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

Just wanted to share my rather unusually colored 11-week old pullet. She's almost a leopard print Mille Fleur. Her red is muted to almost yellow, the white is dominant and the black makes for a striking contrast. Unfortunately the photos don't do her coloring justice... Anyone else have one like this??

She's gorgeous!

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

have you guys noticed aggression with your roosters? 

I raised 5 to adulthood. I ended up keeping one, who is extremely sweet and has never come at me. Of the others, three were fiesty.
I really wanted to keep more than one free ranging on 4 acres. I found them to gang up on the hens, breeding them one after the other. I
couldn't take it and for the sake of the hens decided to just keep my one sweet boy.

 

[shotzy007]

I want like that, so beautiful.

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

There are alot of people gone from this forum now.  why.  

I've been out of the loop dealing with a family crisis. I have my Mille Fleur roo and 8 hens. I had a terrible hatch last year. Ended up only keeping
a couple of birds. Was hit by a coyote. I think the neighbor dispatched it..haven't seen it for a long time. Lost a few birds then. Also, quite a few people
got them when I did and the market around me became very saturated. I'm sticking with SFH, but not breeding right now due to personal matters. Who knows
what spring will bring.