Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[minihorse927]

[COLOR=800080]oh goodness goodness goodness.  Perhaps I should just scrap ALL these birds. [/COLOR]
[COLOR=800080]   I know enough about genetics just to make me dangerous, but that's also enough to know when I'm being duped.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=800080]   Seeing I got all the eggs from ONE source and her (the seller to me) birds were completely caged, not even a sparrow was getting in there, I have to assume either she lets them out to free-range once in awhile, she's in some nice wooded area, perhaps a hen was caught by a neighbors chicken somewhere and she didn't notice, or she just completely got bad stock.   [/COLOR]
[COLOR=800080]   I also know that genotype and phenotype are two completely different things.  Just because a bird LOOKS pure on the outside doesn't mean it isn't also carrying impure genes that can be passed on.  For instance, The hen could have had a straight single comb as well as the rooster, but if one of them was impure and carried the gene for a rose comb and passed it on, no one would be the wiser, without a lot of breeding to find out where it was coming from and culling out the bad source.  So that being said, even tho some of my boys may look alright, I realize they could be carrying something that isn't Swedish Flower now and I will not breed any of them. [/COLOR]
[COLOR=800080]   [/COLOR][COLOR=800080] [/COLOR]

wait now. Some of these birds do appear pure. Single comb is recessive. Everything will dominate a single comb. They can not carry any other comb type and show single. I wouldn't hastily scrap everything and start over. Talk to the person who sold you eggs. I believe most the birds are pure but they gave you the wrong eggs on some of them and that's where these mixes or other breeds came from.

 

[ChicwannaB]

I went back to my post on page 1090 and edited it saying I am not selling any of my cockerels.

 

[ChicwannaB]

Quote:
you're RIGHT, that is a rose comb and I would be quick to think Dominique since I've had them before. But I don't have any now and I know it didn't come from here. I bought eggs and incubated them, they are only in their 14th week now. You have a good eye. .

 

[minihorse927]

Can you post pictures of all the birds you hatched?

 

[ChicwannaB]

Minihorse, I wish I had her phone number but sadly only her address. I've written and it's out in the mailbox now. She lives close enough she may get it tomorrow.

See what I mean about knowing about genetics, only enough to hurt me I guess!!

so you're saying the single comb only shows up when NOTHING else is present. so how about this: the single comb makes it look like a pure bird but what about other traits, like say feathered legs and crests? All that has to be decided in one mating. what if a single comb shows up in a chick and also feathered legs?? I don't have any with feathered legs, I'm just asking.

 

[minihorse927]

[COLOR=800080]Minihorse, I wish I had her phone number but sadly only her address.  I've written and it's out in the mailbox now.  She lives close enough she may get it tomorrow. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=800080]See what I mean about knowing about genetics, only enough to hurt me I guess!![/COLOR][COLOR=EE82EE] [/COLOR]

[COLOR=800080]so you're saying the single comb only shows up  when NOTHING else is present.  so how about this:  the single comb makes it look like a pure bird but what about other traits, like say feathered legs and crests?  All that has to be decided in one mating.   what if a single comb shows up in a chick and also feathered legs??  I don't have any with feathered legs, I'm just asking. [/COLOR]

feathered legs and crests and muffs are all dominant features. Swedish flowers do have cresting on some birds. Muffs on the face and feathered legs are not a trait in this breed. If none of the birds that appear to be sfh have those traits than they will not suddenly appear in later generations. Mottling (the white spots) is recessive meaning it takes 2 copies to make a bird show the mottling. I believe the 4 single cockerels you posted earlier are pure and the 5th barred boy is a dominique.

Yes a single comb will only show when nothing else is present. Clean legs will only show when no feathering gene is present. Muffs will always show if the gene is present.

 

[minihorse927]

Your main things to look for in your flowers as far as purity goes is shape, comb, mottling, yellow legs, single combs, no face muffs, and no solid colored birds.

 

[KYTinpusher]

oh goodness goodness goodness. Perhaps I should just scrap ALL these birds.
I know enough about genetics just to make me dangerous, but that's also enough to know when I'm being duped.
Seeing I got all the eggs from ONE source and her (the seller to me) birds were completely caged, not even a sparrow was getting in there, I have to assume either she lets them out to free-range once in awhile, she's in some nice wooded area, perhaps a hen was caught by a neighbors chicken somewhere and she didn't notice, or she just completely got bad stock.
I also know that genotype and phenotype are two completely different things. Just because a bird LOOKS pure on the outside doesn't mean it isn't also carrying impure genes that can be passed on. For instance, The hen could have had a straight single comb as well as the rooster, but if one of them was impure and carried the gene for a rose comb and passed it on, no one would be the wiser, without a lot of breeding to find out where it was coming from and culling out the bad source. So that being said, even tho some of my boys may look alright, I realize they could be carrying something that isn't Swedish Flower now and I will not breed any of them.

Here is what I would do, but it does not make it the one right answer, just the one that is best for me. Yes, if there is any question of purity in these birds, and I wanted to breed them for sale, yes, I would scrap them and start over. As hard as that is to hear and do, in the long run you will feel better about it. Find a reputable breeder (preferably 2 or 3 for diversity) to get eggs from and hatch some more. Then you wouldn't have to always wonder if any undesirable characteristics are going to pop up in later generations.

With that said, the barred boy and Cindy are not SFH, but the rest of the males do appear to be SFH. Do you have any pullets? If you don't want to scrap them, feel free to post pictures for us to evaluate for you. Many of us have had years of doing this with our own SFH. We can help you pick the ones that are the best representations of the breed. Then, do a couple of generations of test breeding and let us help you evaluate the offspring to make sure they are breeding true. The only reason I would chose to start over rather than culling and test breeding is that starting over will give you faster results. But we all know how attached you can get to the ones you already have...

You need to do what suits you and your situation best.

 

[ChicwannaB]

You folks have all been so wonderful and non judgemental. I sure hope Terri stops today after work or has gotten my message. She's such a sweetheart and I couldn't live with myself if I scammed her. She bought Cindy who obviously isn't a Flower and I know she really liked her. She's welcome to keep the birds but I do want to give her money back because as far as if she ever wanted to sell chicks from them, or hatching eggs, they just won't be good and that wouldn't be right of me to knowingly do that. She does have other hens and roosters on her farm.
I do have some close up photos of the pullets, 5 of them also. And in that incubation I threw in a couple of my mutt eggs and got a cockerel and a pullet. THEY definitely aren't pure anything because they were father'd by a mutt rooster and the two Moms were an old Barred Rock and a BSL.

2 of my pullets are grayish in color, one looks like it's feathers have penciling, the other not. 2 are on the black side with lots of white thrown in and then Cindy who was sold.

Right now they are all out running around in the yard, I'll try to get some pics of the ladies when they come in tonight.

 

[KYTinpusher]

You folks have all been so wonderful and non judgemental. I sure hope Terri stops today after work or has gotten my message. She's such a sweetheart and I couldn't live with myself if I scammed her. She bought Cindy who obviously isn't a Flower and I know she really liked her. She's welcome to keep the birds but I do want to give her money back because as far as if she ever wanted to sell chicks from them, or hatching eggs, they just won't be good and that wouldn't be right of me to knowingly do that. She does have other hens and roosters on her farm.
I do have some close up photos of the pullets, 5 of them also. And in that incubation I threw in a couple of my mutt eggs and got a cockerel and a pullet. THEY definitely aren't pure anything because they were father'd by a mutt rooster and the two Moms were an old Barred Rock and a BSL.

2 of my pullets are grayish in color, one looks like it's feathers have penciling, the other not. 2 are on the black side with lots of white thrown in and then Cindy who was sold.

Right now they are all out running around in the yard, I'll try to get some pics of the ladies when they come in tonight.

Hmmm... Tell us more about the mutt rooster that fathered 2 of the chicks. Are you positive which 2 chicks were from your eggs? Did you have them positively separated in the incubator? Active chicks can jump barriers and easily confuse the issue. The barring on the boy could have come from a barred rock. If the mutt rooster is an EE, he may be responsible for the beard, muffs and comb on Cindy and perhaps the comb on the barred boy. Do you have a picture of him? What about pictures of the 2 chicks from your eggs?