Who wants to see the coop I built just for my Swedish Flower Hens?
Here's the link: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pepparkakor-h-nshus-gingerbread-henhouse
Seems to be a lot of us out there....lol.....I laugh to myself sometimes when wondering if a rare breed isn't so rare any more by checking GFF's website, and watching the price of the chicks go down. That's when I realize a breed has caught on, and more and more people are owning them. I am sure you are right though,, not too many of them in shows I would imagine I want to try and go to a serious level poultry show just to observe, and take in what it's about.Fabulous! That's how I want to show a bird too - straight from the runReally, 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.
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!
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.
Fabulous! That's how I want to show a bird too - straight from the runReally, 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.
Thank you for such a lovely compliment! There is NOTHING wrong with a pallet house! I commend you for repurposing and recycling pallets into a home for your birds!I am totally impressed. Mine live in a pallet house (4 x 8 and 7 feet tall so it's big enough) with zero gingerbread. You have obviously spent a lot of time and effort making the Swede's home perfect. It is absolutely lovely! You should enter it into coop photo contests, you'd win prizes
It's the lacto-fermented feed. I just know it. And "natural chicken keeping" principles.
Hope the $$ will help you toward finishing that coop!
perhaps a message like "I'd like to hear your thoughts on sweetish flower hens" and your name and phone number. I'm sure no matter what you say, they'll still be a bit suspicious.Okay...now you have to call the fair board and ask how you can contact the judges. Be sure to tell them you won (so they know you're not calling to harass them) and maybe you can talk to them. They'll probably ask you to leave your number so they can call you if they want to. I'd love to hear their comments
My dear husband listened to my discussion about the Cocci in the sand vs un/medicated feed in the broody pen problem. After tossing around some ideas we came up with a solution that he implemented today. The broody pen was designed to be divided up into sections as needed. We'll have fixed sections now but that is okay. He made a floor - platform style. It is up off the ground about 3 inches and made of that 1/2" wire on a frame. The bedding is on top of that. When it gets deep we can scoop it off and remove the floor to hose it off and won't have any rotting wood under the shavings.
This section of the broody is pen is about 4' square. Here is the little chicks in their new home. Well same home but with new flooring and he added the metal flashing too. It reflects the heat. They are all in the corner with the most flashing so they must like it!
Hopefully this new floor will reduce - if not eliminate uncontrolled exposure to Cocci. This way I can inoculate them with small batches of weeds/dirt as they get older. We've also switched back to unmedicated feed. This should go a long way towards stopping the SFH chick death.
