Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[ki4got]

Just for folks information. This is a composite of all the States laws regarding the importation of poultry, including hatching eggs. This may not be up to date and can change but it is still very good information.

http://www.guineafowl.com/GeneralStore/regulations.htm


Bottom line: It is illegal in almost every State in the country to import poultry or hatching eggs from a non-NPIP flock.

that may be, but very few PO are aware of that, and few eggs I've ever received had any npip paperwork with them. once I get my breeding groups established, I'll be looking into getting it, but that may not be till later in the summer. we'll see.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
actually, I don't think she's really broody, every time I looked today she was out in the pen with everyone else, and I got an egg from EVERY girl in that pen today (1 ee, 1 blrw and the 3 sfh) the ee and blrw are temporarily bunking since their pen was buried in snow just a few days ago. they might be able to go home this weekend, if I don't drown in mud first. LOL

I think though, she was hanging out in the nest only because the roosts were crowded. also thinking i'll leave the EE in there, but only because she's such a NON broody and reliable layer. since she's been in there, I've gotten sfh eggs EVERY DAY even tho they haven't been out in a week.

 

[FeyRaine]

My SFH are all raised by broody. But the broody was not a SFH.

So far I haven't had a SFH go broody but I haven't had them very long. My oldest pullet is 1 year old and a young girl of 24 weeks.

Please keep us informed it will be really interesting to see if your broody raised SFH do tend toward more broody behavior.

I've got a couple (non-SFH) pullets that I'm raising in hopes one will be a good broody and if so then I'm going to try her on some of my own SFH eggs so I can keep my girls laying through, but then in that broody raised generation I will be doing that same "experiment" as you and it will be interesting to see if the daughters turn out more inclined to broody then their own incubator raised moms...time will tell (like another 2 years...) , and of course meanwhile I'll have full siblings raised via incubator so as long as I keep good notes on who is who this should be a very interesting comparison.

Noting also that one of my Roos is a grand? daughter of Ginger who has been successfully broody, so odds favor some of mine will be.

I consider it one of the fun things about this breed that there is some much to learn and discover about them, keeps us all from being bored ;>

 

[tlmotzkus]

these are photos of my lone hatched Swedish flower hen chick at 4 days old . only had 1 hatch out of 5 eggs! I believe it is a pullet by feather sexing. any ideas how she will look as an adult?

 

[Bulldogma]

these are photos of my lone hatched Swedish flower hen chick at 4 days old . only had 1 hatch out of 5 eggs! I believe it is a pullet by feather sexing. any ideas how she will look as an adult?

Looks like it will be a Mille Fleur - black based. A bit like this:


(if it's a pullet.)

As far as feather sexing this breed, if you do it on day 1-2, there is a pretty high accuracy... I'd say I have gotten about 75% right.

 

[HaplessRunner]

that may be, but very few PO are aware of that, and few eggs I've ever received had any npip paperwork with them. once I get my breeding groups established, I'll be looking into getting it, but that may not be till later in the summer. we'll see.

From what I have discerned, the Post Office are not the gatekeepers for NPIP imports. The Post Office has no clue of the requirements. The paperwork is normally inside a box and unavailable for inspection. While every State is different, it is the Dept of Agriculture and the State Vet who administer the program. And, yes, it does not appear that the State is really doing much to follow up on imports, it is still a legal requirement. Most folks are unaware of the requirements and quite a few choose not to heed them even if they know.

From my point of view, I, personally, would like to do everything I reasonably could to have a healthy flock and be able to document my compliance with the requirements. I would certainly not want to be the person who imported a non-NPIP bird that turned out to be a carrier of an illness that caused my entire flock to be destroyed and have to explain in a legal proceeding why I contributed to an outbreak of poultry sickness in my State.

According to the State Vet office in VA when I went though my certification class to become an NPIP tester, there has not been an incidence of pullorium typhoid in almost 20 years or more which is really good news for everyone. Obtaining your NPIP in VA is pretty easy and relatively inexpensive. This is because the State of VA strongly supports and encourages the program. For many other States, the process can be both painful and expensive.

Just my two cents.

 

[warbirds]

Please anyone tell me where I can order day old or young Swedish flower hen chicks. Not eggs. And please don't say green fire farm or our fly babies. Our fly babies scammed me last year and free fire is way to expensive

I've been raising SFH from the beginning of their importation...........have all 3 imported lines (and am keeping the originals pure).............14 happy breeding pens currently in operation and production with more to come in the next 2 months (if WINTER will go away already!!!). All naturall/organically raised, NPIP and AI free from a state that has been declared a Pullorum/Typhoid Free State by the US.

 

[ki4got]

these are photos of my lone hatched Swedish flower hen chick at 4 days old . only had 1 hatch out of 5 eggs! I believe it is a pullet by feather sexing. any ideas how she will look as an adult?

sorry, feather sexing doesn't work well in sfh... they don't have the slow feathering gene that many cross breeds rely on to use that method. IMO you can accurately sex a SFH by the time it's ready to breed. LOL I've got one (pictures will follow shortly) that was a pullet until just this week... and "she" hatched back in October!

 

[ki4got]

got some pics today. ready for sfh overload? (is that possible?)



this is the October "pullet" who just decided to grow in mahogany feathers and a nice pink/red comb, while her sister (still a pullet) has just a little tan line on her head still... I may be wrong, but I don't think so.
so this would be Sorenson's Son... Sorensonson? SorensonSquared? SorenCubed? nah. i'll just call him Cubed. LOL
but he and his sister below are going to Leigh tomorrow to replenish her crested stock... so she can do what she wants.
.


this is 'sis'...


This is my kytinpusher roo I kept. (brother to feyraine's crested boy)


and a group shot of some of the others in the grow out pen...
Cubed near the feeder and an assortment of black and blue based milles.
because of the snow, they had to vacate their own home and join the pen with all my assorted bantam cochins, but the cochins are so mellow even the adult roos just go about their day like nothing's changed. LOL

the newest roo, a gorgeous Columbian that I lucked into, with a younger cockerel and 2 hens to match him. such a cute butt.

and a red and silver laced in the background awaiting their guys to fly in next week. 2 reds from Maine, 1 silver laced from Arkansas (I think...)
so i'll finally have enough boys to match my girls! (predators took both red and silver laced last fall, or I'd be hatching already!)

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
oh! hey! I emailed you about Sussex last week. (saw your signature line) LOL didn't realize you had swedes too. btw. haven't decided anything about Sussex, I've got 3 cochin boys coming in next week that'll be taking up all my quarantine space for a few.