People will be outcrossing their SFH if we like it or not. I've seen a number of stories where breeders swore up and down that the hatching eggs they sent were pure SFH only to have the new owners hatch something that was *clearly* not a pure SFH. KYTinpusher has also just made a very clear point that it can be very hard to identify birds that are outcrossed with other breeds.
It would be a pity to lose track of the birds that were truly pure, back to the birds imported just under 2 years ago from Sweden. Making people aware of the *General* appearance of a SFH should not, in my opinion, be considered a bad thing. We want new owners to be able to identify birds that are clearly not SFH... otherwise those people could unknowingly continue breeding outcrossed birds and selling them (to more unwitting folks) as pure SFH.
I think there are some clear and simple guidelines we can agree on?
Tan to yellow legs
Unfeathered legs
Tails held at about a 45 degree angle
Come in all colors, but rarely (or never) solid and without some sort of variation
Lay light tan eggs
Generally a rounded body held nicely upright
Generally energetic and aware of their surroundings
Remembering that these are generalizations that could help people new to the breed, does anyone have anything to add - -
Or thoughts on helping others new to the breed to know what to look for??
We can go round and round on this subject because yes - this IS an landrace breed... but semantics and plenty of valid personal opinions aside, I think we can also all agree that like the Australian dingo or the coyote of the US, there are distinct characteristics that differentiate this bird from other breeds. If we refuse to educate ourselves and others on what to look for, we are opening the door to losing the purity of the breed to uneducated breeders.
No - it's NOT a SOP... it's just a general description of this wonderful, landrace bird.
I found these translations from the Swedish site for the preservation or rare poultry interesting:
"When the native breeds of poultry are described, it is done in broad scale. It is imperative that a landrace is allowed to vary! That means in plain language that you are not allowed to put up one-sided breeding objectives when selecting breeding birds. Examples of such unilateral breeding goal is maximum egg production or a standardized appearance."
But the site is also quick to provide a generalized description to suggest how the SFH differs from other native/international breeds:
"Body shape is round and robust. A wide variance of colors are present in these birds, characterized by white feather tips on different colored backgrounds. The base color can be black, blue (gray), red-orange (on roosters) and brown or light yellowish (on hens). Like many other breeds of chickens, blommehöns have a simple and serrated ridge comb. Some birds have tassels or crests (spring bush) on the head. Weight 2 to 2.5 hen, rooster 2.5-3.5 kg."
A different Swedish site describes the SFH this way:
"
Skånsk blommehöna
The Scanian blommehönan (SFH) is derived from three chicken flocks found in the villages Esarp, Vomb and Tofta. The name comes from the old Scanian word "blommed" that comes each spring has a white spot at the tip.
Blommehönan appropriate to the Sydskånska plain where the rich supply of food certainly helped hens size.
It is our largest native breed hen and has a robust physique. The hens weigh an average of 2.4 kg and 3.7 kg cocks. They often have a quiet little leisurely temperament.
The plumage is often very colorful and beautiful. Gundfärgen can be black, blue, gray, brown, orange or yellow, and the tip of each spring is white. Some animals can get crest on its head.
Legs and beak are skin-colored, yellow or black mottled. The crest is simple and serrated.
The eggs are off-white or light beige and incubated for 21 days. One problem with the breed is that they are not good brooders. This is something we are trying to rectify through deliberate selection in breeding.
*Interesting... apparently some folks in Sweden actually ARE trying to breed better broodiness into the SFH. ??
It would be a pity to lose track of the birds that were truly pure, back to the birds imported just under 2 years ago from Sweden. Making people aware of the *General* appearance of a SFH should not, in my opinion, be considered a bad thing. We want new owners to be able to identify birds that are clearly not SFH... otherwise those people could unknowingly continue breeding outcrossed birds and selling them (to more unwitting folks) as pure SFH.
I think there are some clear and simple guidelines we can agree on?
Tan to yellow legs
Unfeathered legs
Tails held at about a 45 degree angle
Come in all colors, but rarely (or never) solid and without some sort of variation
Lay light tan eggs
Generally a rounded body held nicely upright
Generally energetic and aware of their surroundings
Remembering that these are generalizations that could help people new to the breed, does anyone have anything to add - -
Or thoughts on helping others new to the breed to know what to look for??
We can go round and round on this subject because yes - this IS an landrace breed... but semantics and plenty of valid personal opinions aside, I think we can also all agree that like the Australian dingo or the coyote of the US, there are distinct characteristics that differentiate this bird from other breeds. If we refuse to educate ourselves and others on what to look for, we are opening the door to losing the purity of the breed to uneducated breeders.
No - it's NOT a SOP... it's just a general description of this wonderful, landrace bird.
I found these translations from the Swedish site for the preservation or rare poultry interesting:
"When the native breeds of poultry are described, it is done in broad scale. It is imperative that a landrace is allowed to vary! That means in plain language that you are not allowed to put up one-sided breeding objectives when selecting breeding birds. Examples of such unilateral breeding goal is maximum egg production or a standardized appearance."
But the site is also quick to provide a generalized description to suggest how the SFH differs from other native/international breeds:
"Body shape is round and robust. A wide variance of colors are present in these birds, characterized by white feather tips on different colored backgrounds. The base color can be black, blue (gray), red-orange (on roosters) and brown or light yellowish (on hens). Like many other breeds of chickens, blommehöns have a simple and serrated ridge comb. Some birds have tassels or crests (spring bush) on the head. Weight 2 to 2.5 hen, rooster 2.5-3.5 kg."
A different Swedish site describes the SFH this way:
"
Skånsk blommehöna
The Scanian blommehönan (SFH) is derived from three chicken flocks found in the villages Esarp, Vomb and Tofta. The name comes from the old Scanian word "blommed" that comes each spring has a white spot at the tip.
Blommehönan appropriate to the Sydskånska plain where the rich supply of food certainly helped hens size.
It is our largest native breed hen and has a robust physique. The hens weigh an average of 2.4 kg and 3.7 kg cocks. They often have a quiet little leisurely temperament.
The plumage is often very colorful and beautiful. Gundfärgen can be black, blue, gray, brown, orange or yellow, and the tip of each spring is white. Some animals can get crest on its head.
Legs and beak are skin-colored, yellow or black mottled. The crest is simple and serrated.
The eggs are off-white or light beige and incubated for 21 days. One problem with the breed is that they are not good brooders. This is something we are trying to rectify through deliberate selection in breeding.
*Interesting... apparently some folks in Sweden actually ARE trying to breed better broodiness into the SFH. ??
