Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[cree57i]

I'm ordering 3 Swedish Flower Hens from MyPetChicken.com. What can ANYONE tell me about their: 1). Personality, 2). The color of EGGS (I've heard Cream, Tan, Light Brown, and Pink! I've ordered them with my 1st. Flock. Can't find much on SFH from MPC. HELP!

There are a bunch of breeders on this page who are nationally certified to have healthy chickens (NPIP). Many of them have been raising and breeding SFH's for several years and have diversified, healthy birds.

Personality- Intelligent, curious, friendly
Egg color- very light cream to tan, depending on the hen
You can find several reviews on BYC under the 'breeds' tab. There are pros and cons as well as a narrative about more than 170 breeds on there.

If you click on the SFH album in my signature you can see some of my birds.

Welcome to the world of SFH's!

 

[minihorse927]

I'm ordering 3 Swedish Flower Hens from MyPetChicken.com. What can ANYONE tell me about their: 1). Personality, 2). The color of EGGS (I've heard Cream, Tan, Light Brown, and Pink! I've ordered them with my 1st. Flock. Can't find much on SFH from MPC. HELP!

I am a NPIP certified breeder I have been raising sfh for 3 or 4 years now. They are a curious and friendly breed. Most of mine enjoy sitting on the roost and getting petted when I go in to feed at night. They free range better than almost all of my other breeds (svart hona have them beat though). They lay a light cream to a light brown egg. The eggs start out small and grow to large or Xlarge in size within 6 months of laying. My 3 year old hens I have are still good producers and lay Xlarge eggs. The crested variety does seem a little more cautious and a little less friendly than the uncrested but I don't want to say they are flighty cause they are not. my main rooster is 3, almost 4 years old and he has been the sweetest thing. Never offered to challenge me whatsoever. He's been friendly enough I have never even bothered blunting the tips on his huge spurs (can't say that about my leghorns. They aren't mean but are flighty and tend to do damage just when fleeing). They also come in such a gorgeous array of colors I don't know how anyone could not like the Swedish flower hen!

 

[minihorse927]

Here are some of my breeders and also some of this years grow outs.

I'm ordering 3 Swedish Flower Hens from MyPetChicken.com. What can ANYONE tell me about their: 1). Personality, 2). The color of EGGS (I've heard Cream, Tan, Light Brown, and Pink! I've ordered them with my 1st. Flock. Can't find much on SFH from MPC. HELP!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I'm ordering 3 Swedish Flower Hens from MyPetChicken.com. What can ANYONE tell me about their: 1). Personality, 2). The color of EGGS (I've heard Cream, Tan, Light Brown, and Pink! I've ordered them with my 1st. Flock. Can't find much on SFH from MPC. HELP!

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Honestly, for the price MPC is selling, I would either order from GFF or one of these NPIP breeders on this thread.

Unless there are all kinds of other breeds you are getting from them. Of course none of these breeders or GFF will have sexed SFH chicks. I just don't feel like MPC has good quality control. And if they don't post pics of their flock maybe it's for a reason.

Then again, if you aren't breeding and just want SFH.... that are sexed, why not. I will say shipped chicks have a harder time surviving, so be prepared with some electrolytes and a boiled smashed egg at least.

 

[cree57i]

Some hens after their first big molts. I LOVE how intense the colors are!

You need to be able to see pictures of parent stock before you buy. The last picture is from May of one of my breeding groups.

 

[minihorse927]

Not putting any place down but does anyone see what I see wrong with this description?

Swedish Flower chickens--or Blommehons-- are an exceptionally rare breed in this country, not yet recognized by the APA. The birds are great producers of extra large, pale brown eggs, and they come in many plumage colors, including black, golden, chestnut, white, and gray--most with white tipped feathers. This flowering is very distinguishing. Some even have head crests.

Also 21.50 for sexed chicks? I sell pullets almost ready to lay for $30 to $40 unless they are snoleopards...

 

[JulesChicks]

I'm ordering 3 Swedish Flower Hens from MyPetChicken.com. What can ANYONE tell me about their: 1). Personality, 2). The color of EGGS (I've heard Cream, Tan, Light Brown, and Pink! I've ordered them with my 1st. Flock. Can't find much on SFH from MPC. HELP!

Hi there and welcome to BYC!

I have a few comments based on my experience over the last couple of years with building my flock (and my steep learning curve . I think we may have some similarities in how we started our flocks, though correct me if I'm wrong. I wanted a variety of breeds to try out and since I couldn't get the breeds I was interested in, in the low numbers I wanted, from one online breeder or hatchery, I decided to find local breeders to source them.

This worked out with 2 out of the three breeders I used. Those 2 were backyard breeders - one casual breeder (my BC Marans) and one who breeds to the standard and shows for the breeds he raises (Welsummer and Wheaten/Blue Wheaten Ameraucana). The final breeder is where I got my SFH from (and some more Marans, which were pitiful compared to those from the backyard breeder, and some Cream Legbar, also not up to snuff). They say they specialize in "preserving rare breeds". I am not sure how they select their breeders, but for instance, they raised crested and non-crested Cream Legbars - which should all be crested. In SFH you can have both crested and non-crested because they are a landrace that developed that way naturally over time. I ordered started pullets from her and they had not been handled at all, due to the large number of birds and breeds they lay. As a result, mine were never friendly, which I suspected might be a problem. We did enjoy these birds nonetheless. Our birds became ill and passed sometime this past summer (not a breed problem, may have eaten a poisonous plant). They laid a very light tinted egg - cream colored.

I am contemplating trying this breed again when we are ready to expand (we're maxed out at the moment) and when/if we do I will order from a breeder on here who can tell me the specifics of their line - temperaments, colors they have, etc. Temperament is very important to me, especially with regard to males. I finally have a non-aggressive Black Copper Marans who is also gorgeous - so he's a keeper. I tried Dominiques because I read how friendly they are - not this particular line evidentially. That is why knowing your source is so important. When you order from a hatchery, you will not know this. It is a numbers game for them, they are not breeding for quality (for the most part).

Have fun starting your flock and please do report back on how you like your SFH from MPC.

 

[JulesChicks]

Not putting any place down but does anyone see what I see wrong with this description?

Swedish Flower chickens--or Blommehons-- are an exceptionally rare breed in this country, not yet recognized by the APA. The birds are great producers of extra large, pale brown eggs, and they come in many plumage colors, including black, golden, chestnut, white, and gray--most with white tipped feathers. This flowering is very distinguishing. Some even have head crests.

Also 21.50 for sexed chicks? I sell pullets almost ready to lay for $30 to $40 unless they are snoleopards...

You are top of my list if/when I get this breed again! DO you sell your snoleopards??? I would love a blue based SFH! Also, when you sell started pullets, have they been handled and are they still friendly?

ETA; ps that blue based girl in the top pic is gorgeous!!

 

[JulesChicks]

Some hens after their first big molts. I LOVE how intense the colors are!

You need to be able to see pictures of parent stock before you buy. The last picture is from May of one of my breeding groups.

I'm loving your birds too! Especially the blue with the reddish neck! What a stunning combo of complementary colors on a bird. Similar to a blue copper Marans, but even nicer with the flowers!

 

[JulesChicks]

One other comment I will say about my SFH, I loved the combs on my girls. My hen with a crest had a beautiful little comb - sometimes combs and crests don't play together so well - like on the Cream Legbars - their combs can be large and floppy and it can mess up the crest and vice versa. My crested SFH had a nice comb (and wattles), red, smooth, not too big, tucked into her rounded crest.

These are not the best photos but all I could find. The buff in the back was our non-crested SFH and the multi-colored with the crest in the front was the other. They were great foragers.






ETA: The picture under my user name has 2 of their eggs in it... one laid a slightly more rounded egg and the other, well, egg-shaped.