Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[insanity]

I am starting a SFH flock this year and am trying to get as much genetic diversity as possible. I ordered eggs from a BYC member due in February, have some birds from another BYC. I was looking at Greenfire Farms for some more chicks from a 3rd flock. My question is are they really as good as the hype or is there another hatchery around you all would recommend?

Thanks

 

[OleMissChic]

LOL - It's very possible. I currently have a fairly sizable flock of all uncrested SFH. Luckily KI4GOT has some little crested girlies for me so at least I can offer crested to buyers some day.

I thought about that part of it, having some crested for those that like them. How soon can you tell if a chick is crested or not?

 

[OleMissChic]

Saw an ad on eBay from a breeder who's doing crested roo over crested ladies. Definite buyer beware situation. Double crests and shipping are a good formula for a very bad hatch.

I've ordered from ebay before and will never do it again. If someone doesn't have a website, good pics, or at least a BYC or Facebook profile then I will run from now on. Hard lesson learned. lol

 

[OleMissChic]

I am starting a SFH flock this year and am trying to get as much genetic diversity as possible. I ordered eggs from a BYC member due in February, have some birds from another BYC. I was looking at Greenfire Farms for some more chicks from a 3rd flock. My question is are they really as good as the hype or is there another hatchery around you all would recommend?

Thanks

I'm very interested in hearing about this as well. It seems almost anyone with SFH in the US would have probably had to have gotten them from GFF originally? Unless you are aware of another importer of SFH...

For what it's worth, there's a lot to be said for people who make the efforts to import, but as a professional marketer I'm always looking for the obscure person/business who's brand (and bloodlines) hasn't saturated the market.

 

[insanity]

I do realize most/all SFH come from GFF but was using the theory that line divergence would help with the narrow gene pool problem the breed has.

 

[CackleJoy]

I am starting a SFH flock this year and am trying to get as much genetic diversity as possible. I ordered eggs from a BYC member due in February, have some birds from another BYC. I was looking at Greenfire Farms for some more chicks from a 3rd flock. My question is are they really as good as the hype or is there another hatchery around you all would recommend?

Thanks

Mine are 12 weeks old. I will be posting pictures. I don't know if they are any better than any on else's SFH. I was interested in GFF 2013 run of extra large egg layers.

 

[ki4got]

I am starting a SFH flock this year and am trying to get as much genetic diversity as possible. I ordered eggs from a BYC member due in February, have some birds from another BYC. I was looking at Greenfire Farms for some more chicks from a 3rd flock. My question is are they really as good as the hype or is there another hatchery around you all would recommend?

Thanks

LOL all SFH originated with GFF... they are the only importers of this breed. so everything out there has originated from their imports. granted they've imported more than once, and from more than one flock, so their stock should be pretty diverse, and with individual breeders working on their own lines that helps separate things out a bit more.

 

[CackleJoy]

Just getting some feedback regarding gender. I'm pretty sure I've got this all nailed down. I'm posting a picture of a roo 1st so you can see
the development. This cockerel is the least developed of the bunch and his gender is obvious.

.

Just want verification that the rest are pullets. This flock is part of our GFF order, 12 weeks old. We are so happy to watch them grow and see the colors coming out.









You think these last 4 are girls?

 

[ki4got]

Quote: some are noticeable immediately, others take a few weeks to develop.

Quote: Quote:

I do realize most/all SFH come from GFF but was using the theory that line divergence would help with the narrow gene pool problem the breed has.

each breeder will have their own method of selection and such, so after a couple generations those usually become distinct lines of their own... so chicks from a variety of sources will give you a better range of diversity to work with. I highly recommend using multiple roos when possible, and rotating the girls among them now and then though, so that you have more options to pick from in your offspring.

the sfh hasn't been in this country all that long, so truthfully, the lines are still being established IMO... so what I would suggest is picking birds that are unique and as different from the others you have in the flock as possible. birds that look a lot alike are more likely to share lineage. and once a line is established, I think you'll see a general appearance and color variations between individual breeders down the road. maybe not a lot of differences, but some subtle ones maybe. like this person's roos tend to have darker hackles, or that ones hens tend to have more mottling...

 

[CackleJoy]

I have a question about this pullet. Her crest is very large and would impede her vision from the top for sure. Is she what you would call a double crested?