Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[Ashdoes]

I guess I was looking at it as similar to sizzles; after so many generations of breeding true to standards (in the case of sizzles-silkie) the offspring should breed true. I thought maybe someone had put a lot of work into making a frizzle that breeds true to SFH standards (Tho I guess I don't even know if there are any established. I know I have some variation in my pure birds) I liked the idea of a frizzle with flowers but an obvious cross is something very different. I would think the seller would refund you the cost of the egg. Tho I doubt that makes up for all the time and energy put I to incubating and waiting.....

When I look at her frizzle SFH listing, I think she mentions that they flower, but I'm not for sure. It might breed true, I'm just not really interested enough to find out.

 

[THeelChickinKY]

@Ashdoes
It is infuriating when people aren't above board in chicken dealings. I would be tempted, if I were you, to get the ones under the broody since it's so early in the process. I would be afraid that even the ones that look completely SFH may not be at some point along those breeding lines, but that's me. If that breeder is crossing breeds and then selling the crosses as SFH, she either is okay with that or is unaware that it's not acceptable. Either way, I'm sorry you're having to think about it!

On another note, this isn't actually a SFH, but I hatched out a few Barnevelders in my hatch last week. They are 8 days old and today I saw one's eye looks like it is covered in a cataract. I think I would have noticed this before now, but if it's new, what happened? Did another chick peck the poor thing's eye? Ideas?

 

[Kaylish]

@Ashdoes
It is infuriating when people aren't above board in chicken dealings. I would be tempted, if I were you, to get the ones under the broody since it's so early in the process. I would be afraid that even the ones that look completely SFH may not be at some point along those breeding lines, but that's me. If that breeder is crossing breeds and then selling the crosses as SFH, she either is okay with that or is unaware that it's not acceptable. Either way, I'm sorry you're having to think about it!


On another note, this isn't actually a SFH, but I hatched out a few Barnevelders in my hatch last week. They are 8 days old and today I saw one's eye looks like it is covered in a cataract. I think I would have noticed this before now, but if it's new, what happened? Did another chick peck the poor thing's eye? Ideas?

The lack of integrity in some breeders is appalling - it makes me so nervous to buy eggs from anyone I can't visit to view their flocks; especially rare breeds (BYC members excluded of course!)

On your chick with the eye problem - I had a similar situation with a bantam cochin last spring; never did figure out what happened but I treated with Vetricyn eye ointment and he recovered well. The eye is still a little cloudy but his vision seems to be just fine (or at least good enough to stand watch over his flock; I've seen him spy several hawks before the hens, his brother or myself did)

 

[Ashdoes]

I wrote to her, checking if her chickens are seprated and she just happened to grab the wrong egg. It's not ok even if it was just a minor accident, but I'd feel better. I had actually thought about pulling them from my broody, but decided to see what her answer is. Her pictures are great, her hens look like they're supossed to look and she has good feedback. I'd like to think she knows what she's doing. I think maybe she should stop sending the surprise eggs with all her packages.

 

[Ashdoes]

The lack of integrity in some breeders is appalling - it makes me so nervous to buy eggs from anyone I can't visit to view their flocks; especially rare breeds (BYC members excluded of course!)

My husband is saying we should stick with BYC members for eggs, or GFF for chicks. At least on here there's a community.

 

[TxFlowers]

I wrote to her, checking if her chickens are seprated and she just happened to grab the wrong egg. It's not ok even if it was just a minor accident, but I'd feel better. I had actually thought about pulling them from my broody, but decided to see what her answer is. Her pictures are great, her hens look like they're supossed to look and she has good feedback. I'd like to think she knows what she's doing. I think maybe she should stop sending the surprise eggs with all her packages.

Here's something else bad. GFF sends chicks as packing peanuts and doesn't inform you of what they are. I got a splash barneveler cockerel with an order of Swedish chicks. At about a month old I realized this one chick wasn't the same as the others but that's because I had been raising swedes for a while but someone else would have thought this Barnevelder was a Swede and bred it as a SF, I guarantee it! I have seen many on ebay selling eggs and having a picture of a rooster that clearly wasn't a pure SF. Really people that haven't had this breed for a while, often don't know. From time to time, people are posting pics on this thread of a bird and asking if it's a SFH or not. Usually it doesn't look like a pure SF but someone told them it was. How many have these questionable birds but don't know better and don't know about this place to ask so are breeding them as SF and selling the chicks or eggs. I have bought only from GFF and a couple of others that I KNEW had pure SF. You can't be too careful if you want the real thing!

 

[Leahs Mom]

I agree. I've seen photos posted here on BYC in other threads of folks selling SFH and they clearly weren't.

This really muddies the waters, especially for folks that just don't know what they're getting. I wish there was a way to fix that but I have no idea what that would be. Then the market gets flooded with "SFH" that aren't..

It makes the rest of us sound like "SFH snobs" or something. I've seen more than one time when someone was told what they had wasn't a Swede that got very offended.

 

[KYTinpusher]

Quote: That is not an uncommon story about chicks from GFF. Happened to me with my order of Isbars. If I didn't know what they were supposed to look like, I would have thought they were Isbars. And now the hatcheries are starting to offer their version of SFH.

The only advice I can give you is to study what the SFH is supposed to look like. Get pictures of the parent stock from anyone you plan to buy from. Good breeders are happy to show off their stock. Talk to others who have SFH and get their recommendations. Get involved in the breeder groups with others who are passionate about this breed (or any that you plan to get). Any research you do now will save you a lot of heartbreak later.

 

[Ashdoes]

Well, she answered back quickly, and said she really thinks she just mismarked a surprise egg. I'm as confident as I can be, and will keep the eggs under the broody.
The broody is another issue all together, she keep nest jumping and making me crazy. But of course, when I tried to move her myself, she freaked out.

 

[THeelChickinKY]

Ha, snobs! That's terrible but totally true, Leahs Mom - people get really touchy and take it personally when you tell them what they actually have is not what they thought it was, as if you're insulting them or something. So yeah, it's a twofold problem: some people are disingenuous and then others are just ignorant. Of course not everyone, it's just, as others have said, there's no check system in place for those who aren't above board.