Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[Leahs Mom]

Can you also send me a PM on Lacto-fermentation? Thanks!

Done

 

[Leahs Mom]

@Bulldogma

I meant to make a comment on the coop before but got busy. So cute!!!!!

 

[Leahs Mom]

@Melabella

The photos are working again on byc! Here's the instruction sheet for the Avi-Culture. I think it will be big enough to see if you click on it.

 

[Bulldogma]

Tonight was the poultry show at the county fair. Most of the county fairs in VA don't seem to have poultry shows, so this one gets a pretty good turnout each year. On a bit of a whim, I trimmed Greta's nails and washed her legs and comb. I didn't have time to give her a bath which needs to be done at least a day or two in advance... (but she took a GREAT dust bath this morning much to my chagrin - LOL!) I loaded her up and went to the poultry show.

I wanted to get my feet wet. I don't think I'll ever do this in the big time or anything - I don't like the idea of keeping my birds in wire cages for weeks at a time so they don't break a feather. I just don't think a chicken would want to live that way. No - I hauled my bird right out of her run today. LOL!

Needless to say, I wasn't expecting much. Just a fun experience and a chance to learn a little bit about poultry shows. I blog about chickens so I want to try all things chicken so I can share these things.

Here's a recent photo of Greta at home:


(Of course I think she's beautiful, but I'm her mom and that's my job!)

Greta at the fair... wondering what is going on:



Greta flirting with the judges (I think she was a lap dog in her last life... she LOVES attention! Though she wasn't so hot about them holding her upside down... )



The judging took 3 hours. I was starting to wonder if all this was worth the gas. Then one of the officials addresses the crowd and talks about how some of the breeds aren't recognized breeds and that unrecognized breeds (even rare ones) would not get points the same way as APA recognized breeds and so on and so on and so on.

Yeah - I'm pretty much betting neither judge has ever seen a SFH in the flesh... you ever get the feeling someone is talking to YOU when they are addressing a crowd? That's how I felt... but apparently Greta was not the only bird of an unrecognized breed there. Many of them went home without anything more than a slip of paper thanking them for attending the show. I can understand this - a county fair is usually going to focus on the bigger name popular breeds. Their resources are more limited than bigger shows.

So you could have knocked me over with a feather when the announced who won Champion Pullet!!



We got a blue ribbon (to the left) a blue rosette, a trophy AND a money prize!

This was SO not what I was expecting! But I'm NOT complaining!

 

[TxFlowers]

Leigh how exciting! I laughed after I finished reading it! Great story! Congratulations to Greta!

 

[Eggy Sue]

Are there plans to make this breed available for sale in the USA soon?

 

[TxFlowers]

Are there plans to make this breed available for sale in the USA soon?

This breed has been in the US since 2010. Greenfire farms in Florida imported them. They are still somewhat rare but you can find many breeders through the US now.

http://greenfirefarms.com/store/category/chickens/swedish-flower-hens/

 

[Bulldogma]

Are there plans to make this breed available for sale in the USA soon?

Yes - they are available in the US.

Leigh how exciting! I laughed after I finished reading it! Great story! Congratulations to Greta!

Thank you! I'm a proud mamma!!

 

[Chipper Chicken]

Congratulations x 2! Greta AND the Gingerbread Coop! Two beauties! You are obviously multi talented AND humble. What a wonderful page in your book of life this is.

The coop is looking absolutely yummy! Makes me want to go bake some gingerbread cookies. I like the extra ventilation windows you added too.

And who knew, maybe a "non standardized breed" is gaining acceptance? Did you get a chance to talk to the judges at all? You might just have to go back next year now, lol.

 

[CackleJoy]

Tonight was the poultry show at the county fair. Most of the county fairs in VA don't seem to have poultry shows, so this one gets a pretty good turnout each year. On a bit of a whim, I trimmed Greta's nails and washed her legs and comb. I didn't have time to give her a bath which needs to be done at least a day or two in advance... (but she took a GREAT dust bath this morning much to my chagrin - LOL!) I loaded her up and went to the poultry show.

I wanted to get my feet wet. I don't think I'll ever do this in the big time or anything - I don't like the idea of keeping my birds in wire cages for weeks at a time so they don't break a feather. I just don't think a chicken would want to live that way. No - I hauled my bird right out of her run today. LOL!

Needless to say, I wasn't expecting much. Just a fun experience and a chance to learn a little bit about poultry shows. I blog about chickens so I want to try all things chicken so I can share these things.

Here's a recent photo of Greta at home:


(Of course I think she's beautiful, but I'm her mom and that's my job!)

Greta at the fair... wondering what is going on:



Greta flirting with the judges (I think she was a lap dog in her last life... she LOVES attention! Though she wasn't so hot about them holding her upside down... )



The judging took 3 hours. I was starting to wonder if all this was worth the gas. Then one of the officials addresses the crowd and talks about how some of the breeds aren't recognized breeds and that unrecognized breeds (even rare ones) would not get points the same way as APA recognized breeds and so on and so on and so on.

Yeah - I'm pretty much betting neither judge has ever seen a SFH in the flesh... you ever get the feeling someone is talking to YOU when they are addressing a crowd? That's how I felt... but apparently Greta was not the only bird of an unrecognized breed there. Many of them went home without anything more than a slip of paper thanking them for attending the show. I can understand this - a county fair is usually going to focus on the bigger name popular breeds. Their resources are more limited than bigger shows.

So you could have knocked me over with a feather when the announced who won Champion Pullet!!



We got a blue ribbon (to the left) a blue rosette, a trophy AND a money prize!

This was SO not what I was expecting! But I'm NOT complaining!

Fabulous! That's how I want to show a bird too - straight from the run Hooray for a win and for having the nerve to try! I've been afraid my ignorance would hold me back. I guess it has.

Really, we ought to be taking our lovely girls to shows so people can see them. I guess not very many people have SFH? I know they are rare but I really expected to find more people breeding them.