The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Bulldogma]

BDM,

I am curious how the sweedish flower hens have such a wide variety of appearances, but are purebred. How do you know they are pure? Not saying yours are not. Just curious Another person is doing something very similar to the SFH and they are calling them Aloha Chickens.

Breeds in the S.O.P have a strict definition, but SFH do not it seems.

They sure are beautiful!

The Swedish Flower Hen is a true landrace breed - they are the product of natural selection and not of selective breeding. They trace their beginnings back to the chickens the Vikings and traders brought to southern Sweden about 2000 years ago. They're a little like mustangs, or coyotes or dingos I suppose. Mustangs come in all different colors too Chances are other chickens were interbred with them along the way, but the chickens have their own look with the "flowering."

It would be hard to tell a cross bred SFH with a pure one if the cross was between another bird with a similar body and feathering. That's one reason to make sure they are purchased from a breeder with integrity.

Interestingly, the SFH has been used in the Aloha project to my understanding.

 

[aoxa]

The Swedish Flower Hen is a true landrace breed - they are the product of natural selection and not of selective breeding. They trace their beginnings back to the chickens the Vikings and traders brought to southern Sweden about 2000 years ago. They're a little like mustangs, or coyotes or dingos I suppose. Mustangs come in all different colors too Chances are other chickens were interbred with them along the way, but the chickens have their own look with the "flowering."

It would be hard to tell a cross bred SFH with a pure one if the cross was between another bird with a similar body and feathering. That's one reason to make sure they are purchased from a breeder with integrity.

Interestingly, the SFH has been used in the Aloha project to my understanding.

They started the Aloha project before the SFH were imported to the US. Trying to get them like the SFH.

So technically you can add other breeds in there that also have the pretty mottling (like Mille Fleur or Jubilee) to try and improve immunity to some of our soils like Dragon Lady was describing...?

I do love how different they all are. The other breeds you have are Orpington and Silkie right? Am I missing any other breeds?

What colour eggs do your SFH lay?

 

[pcappy2]

I thouht it would such a great learning experience and great fun to put eggs in bator and let my Grandson watch them hatch. His enjoyment and interest in these chicks has been amazing. We ended up with 2Roo's, SLW and 1 hen, she's a turken. We are still waiting for the hen to lay our first egg, any thoughts? maybe not until spring? We us DL, I sprout our own wheat grass, and try to free range them as much as possible. I haven't noticed any mites yet but that is my biggest concern. does anyone have the reciepe for home made nu-stock?? I'm thinking I need to have this on hand. I do have a neighbor that is going to save all of his ash for me. The other concern I had that I learned about on the other thread was not to leave free feed out for them. I think my chickens are fat!!!
Now we are trying to decide what type of chickens to add this spring. Thoughts? I only need a few eggs, I thought maybe 5 or 6 hens would give enough eggs? Am I on the right track here?

 

[aoxa]

I thouht it would such a great learning experience and great fun to put eggs in bator and let my Grandson watch them hatch. His enjoyment and interest in these chicks has been amazing. We ended up with 2Roo's, SLW and 1 hen, she's a turken. We are still waiting for the hen to lay our first egg, any thoughts? maybe not until spring? We us DL, I sprout our own wheat grass, and try to free range them as much as possible. I haven't noticed any mites yet but that is my biggest concern. does anyone have the reciepe for home made nu-stock?? I'm thinking I need to have this on hand. I do have a neighbor that is going to save all of his ash for me. The other concern I had that I learned about on the other thread was not to leave free feed out for them. I think my chickens are fat!!!
Now we are trying to decide what type of chickens to add this spring. Thoughts? I only need a few eggs, I thought maybe 5 or 6 hens would give enough eggs? Am I on the right track here?

What age is your turken?

I'll get 1-2 eggs a day now from my three turken hens born mid-May this year.

 

[Bulldogma]

They started the Aloha project before the SFH were imported to the US. Trying to get them like the SFH.

So technically you can add other breeds in there that also have the pretty mottling (like Mille Fleur or Jubilee) to try and improve immunity to some of our soils like Dragon Lady was describing...?

I do love how different they all are. The other breeds you have are Orpington and Silkie right? Am I missing any other breeds?

What colour eggs do your SFH lay?

Those that consider themselves SFH breeders in the US are generally in favor of keeping the breed "pure" and not mixing in any other breeds. I may allow my SFH Roo to visit my lavender Orpingtons just for some barnyard mixes sometime, but I have no plans of selling mixes. The general concensus is that since the SFH is a landrace breed, selective breeding by humans would be contrary to their heritage.

We'll just have to see how they fare on US soil. If they end up with too many health issues, well... we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Hopefully the breed can adjust and flourish here as they did for more than a thousand years in south Sweden.

 

[Melabella]

I thouht it would such a great learning experience and great fun to put eggs in bator and let my Grandson watch them hatch. His enjoyment and interest in these chicks has been amazing. We ended up with 2Roo's, SLW and 1 hen, she's a turken. We are still waiting for the hen to lay our first egg, any thoughts? maybe not until spring? We us DL, I sprout our own wheat grass, and try to free range them as much as possible. I haven't noticed any mites yet but that is my biggest concern. does anyone have the reciepe for home made nu-stock?? I'm thinking I need to have this on hand. I do have a neighbor that is going to save all of his ash for me. The other concern I had that I learned about on the other thread was not to leave free feed out for them. I think my chickens are fat!!!
Now we are trying to decide what type of chickens to add this spring. Thoughts? I only need a few eggs, I thought maybe 5 or 6 hens would give enough eggs? Am I on the right track here?

Hi pcappy2!

I am no expert by any chance...but in picking new breeds to get I would consider some ultra friendly breeds as your grandson is interested with you. I have a friend with some Coronation Sussex, who quite frankly from day 1 are extremely friendly. I think they are beautiful as well.

I am promised some chicks come spring! THey follow me around the yard, and not the way some do looking for food, just generally interested in people and what they are doing.

I have heard the same about Buckeye's as well,

, friendly from day one. Both are cold hearty and will give you plenty eggs for a family use.

GOod Luck!

 

[delisha]

I also have a Heritage buckeye, only one. She is a very nice chicken and does not mind being handled. If I am on the picknic table she is one of the chickens who is usually around my feet. I have kept a chick from her and it is a Cornish cross. She also lays a nice egg.
Why are your other chickens not giving you enough eggs?

 

[delisha]

I thouht it would such a great learning experience and great fun to put eggs in bator and let my Grandson watch them hatch. His enjoyment and interest in these chicks has been amazing. We ended up with 2Roo's, SLW and 1 hen, she's a turken. We are still waiting for the hen to lay our first egg, any thoughts? maybe not until spring? We us DL, I sprout our own wheat grass, and try to free range them as much as possible. I haven't noticed any mites yet but that is my biggest concern. does anyone have the reciepe for home made nu-stock?? I'm thinking I need to have this on hand. I do have a neighbor that is going to save all of his ash for me. The other concern I had that I learned about on the other thread was not to leave free feed out for them. I think my chickens are fat!!!
Now we are trying to decide what type of chickens to add this spring. Thoughts? I only need a few eggs, I thought maybe 5 or 6 hens would give enough eggs? Am I on the right track here?

Sorry, I just read your turken is a pullet. It is hard to wait for them to lay. They will lay. 16-24 weeks for production 24-36 for Heritage
What else do you plan to do with your chickens besides getting eggs? Food?
5-6 chickens will give you 3-6 eggs a day. Ruffly 1000 eggs a year
Production breeds give you the most eggs the earliest. They burn out faster sometimes and need to be replace usually every two years.
Egg hatching is the BEST!
Welcome to the group!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I thouht it would such a great learning experience and great fun to put eggs in bator and let my Grandson watch them hatch. His enjoyment and interest in these chicks has been amazing. We ended up with 2Roo's, SLW and 1 hen, she's a turken. We are still waiting for the hen to lay our first egg, any thoughts? maybe not until spring? We us DL, I sprout our own wheat grass, and try to free range them as much as possible. I haven't noticed any mites yet but that is my biggest concern. does anyone have the reciepe for home made nu-stock?? I'm thinking I need to have this on hand. I do have a neighbor that is going to save all of his ash for me. The other concern I had that I learned about on the other thread was not to leave free feed out for them. I think my chickens are fat!!!
Now we are trying to decide what type of chickens to add this spring. Thoughts? I only need a few eggs, I thought maybe 5 or 6 hens would give enough eggs? Am I on the right track here?

Heres where you'll find the recipe for Nu stock.. http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

 

[Lacy Blues]

How wonderful and inventive. Tell us more about mosquito fish

Here is information on the mosquito fish for home ponds and/or tanks.
www.aqua-fish.net/show.php?h=mosquitofish
www.mosquitoes.org/FISHPAGE.html


This one is a brochure on the fish as well as building and maintaining a pond for them and what their requirements are.
www.mosquitoes.org/documents/2010fishpondbrochure.pdf