Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[Bulldogma]

My big, black/white girl Greta is a mother again! She was paired with one of Mace's largest sons who is also black-based. I knew both were BIG birds, but I never expected to get a Rottweiler for a chick! (LOL!)



A chick from an egg from the snoleopard pen.














My pullet Sophia brooded and hatched 4 out of 5 eggs... all 5 would have hatched but my 11-year-old dropped one of the eggs about 4 days before it was due to hatch.

That one was a black also with lots of yellow.

 

[KYTinpusher]

You must first register with the Center for Disease Control as you may now or soon to be in the future be stricken with a rare Swedish virus that may be gmhard to eradicate. Get help while you can!!! And Welcome!


MB

It is extremely contagious and virulent and there is no known cure, not that anyone who has it wants to be cured!

 

[KYTinpusher]

Adorable, Leigh!

Congrats!

 

[Melabella]

@Melabella
Question for you - and for others too!

Do you find that your SFH are more amicable flock mates than the other breeds you've had/have? How do you like the personality and flock interaction compared to other breeds you've had?

This is difficult for me to answer at my stage in the game. My oldest SFH's are 15 weeks, and have been living with 3 older pullets, a SS, a White Maran and an Austra White. There is also a smaller pen within the 12 x 12 grow out stall with 12 younger grow outs ages 7-9 weeks.. all of various breeds. Most of these grow outs they see every day will be their girls later down the road, but for size reasons, they just aren't ready to integrate quite yet. The two roo's are pushed around by the 3 older pullets, the typical stuff, moving them away from both feeders, pushing from top spot on the roosts, and normal stuff like that. I had just started seeing signs of them starting to allow the more dominant roo to hang with them. Yesterday though, I placed these 3 older girls who are almost at POL in with my black Ameraucana roo Clarke. I had rehomed his flock of 10 layers that were starting to tail off with egg production. My goal is to build two new flocks, one pen with the Swedish boys flock, and Clarke's flock of layers. These three teenage girls had to go to him, as they lay brown eggs, and I want other egg color layers with the Swedes so I never confuse the SFH girls eggs. I also have a pen of 5 week olds in the feed room growing out as well. In that group are my new SFH babies of the 5 I hatched. I also have 2 EE's that are 2 weeks old. I got caught up in my over zealousness of learning to hatch, and the excitement of having these new breeds that I am so happy to now own. The reason I went into this long explanation is to explain my situation. I am still waiting on the Swedish run to be built, and the shed that will be there coop to be set up with roosts and nest boxes. Today I was feeling courageous and I allowed the 3 SFH to come into the stall while the littles were out of their pen. I noticed the two young cockerels looking and sort of surveying them, there is only 1 other cockerel in the bunch, a 9 week old EO Basque boy. So far, he is very quiet and un assuming, and all the littles were quite freaked out by the lack of wire between them. Well, Ava my 14 week old SFH pullet immediately went into attack mode. Not the usual head peck when one got to close, I mean the go after, fly up, and peck peck peck. This freaked out the entire little flock, and Nero sort of got in between her and some of the littles. I realize this will be a whole adjustment period, and I spend an awful lot of time observing. I look up to all of you who have so many birds, and do so much moving around with different birds. I am hoping, and I am confident I can successfully be able to set these two flocks up, but I can see it is going to take an awful lot of time, and patience. So far their personalities seem very confident, inquisitive and strong. So far they are far more active free rangers than the previous flock I had of hatchery layers. I like that! I have also fallen for the EO Basque chicks, at 9 weeks into raising them, they seem very docile and pleasant. I don't necessarily need a chicken to be like a lap dog, and also like the ones who stop briefly to say hello and see what I'm doing, and do admit to liking one that lets me hold them a bit. Time will tell more. Sorry for the long winded explanation.

MB

 

[RAnst4038]

Hi all. I have never raised SFH and wondering about the 3 I hatched June 23. How about the colors and roo or pullet? Seems to be a big size difference as well. Any all all comments. Thanks so much.

Look like all pullets but none of my 5 week old look like roo either.



Compare this 4 week old Cream Legbar Roo.

 

[Chickencame1st]

[COLOR=008080]Look like all pullets but none of my 5 week old look like roo either.[/COLOR] [COLOR=008080]Compare this 4 week old Cream Legbar Roo.[/COLOR]

it looks like my light colored blue base swedish flower is the rooster because that's the only one that has any comb or any red. Love the Cream Legbar and my Sulmtalers. No questions or guessing.

 

[ashtree]

So I'm wanting expert SFH advice; I'm deciding which 2 boys to keep of the 4 I've been growing out.

Here are a few pics:

I failed to get individual pics of all 4, so may have to try again. My favorite is the black in the 2nd pic. My sons favorite is the one with white (there's an individual and he's the cockerel to the right in the 1st pic). I'm wondering what folks think of the boy to the left in the 1st pic. I love his coloring but my son may win this battle as he really loves the other. The cockerel in the last pic is my least favorite.

We've fallen in love with this breed and are hoping to raise our own chicks next spring!

 

[RAnst4038]

So I'm wanting expert SFH advice; I'm deciding which 2 boys to keep of the 4 I've been growing out.

From Green Fire Farms (the experts) "Swedish flower hens emerged as a landrace several hundred years ago, the product of a now forgotten mix of primitive breeds that were brought to Sweden by settlers and conquerors. As a landrace, this breed was not intentionally created by a breeder carefully selecting birds as part of a structured breeding program. Rather, this breed was created through natural selection and random pairings as the breed adapted to the climate and conditions of the Sydskånska Plain in southern Sweden."
There total mutts, the offspring of any of these could look like anything unless you back breed the next 3 generations back to one of these. Then you will get some that look just like them. Which totally ruins counter to what Swedish are. If you want to keep future chicks use what ever. If you are going to sell them and continue the breed, put them all together and let them battle it out.



My favorite is the black in the 2nd pic. My sons favorite is the one with white.
We've fallen in love with this breed and are hoping to raise our own chicks next spring!

 

[ashtree]

@RAnst4038 that makes sense. Pretty exciting too! I'm just hoping for a colorful flock.

 

[TurnipTruck]

I like this dark boy the best, but thtat might be me. LOL 
the last pic is a pullet I'd say.

I interpret that to mean you think the rest are cockerels?