Swedish Flower Hens Chicken

Swedish Flower Hens Chicken

History

Swedish Flower Chicken, (Skånsk blommehöna), got its name due to the speckles or “flowers” on the tips of their feathers. It is an ancient landrace, a Heritage Breed, which was first mentioned in folklore literature more than 300 years ago. It is likely, that the Romans brought chickens to Sweden and these birds then developed into the landrace breed we know today!

Remember a landrace and Heritage Chicken is a domesticated chicken, which has developed by local, natural processes in order to adapt to the specific local environment. It is in this way that a landrace differs from a formal breed (APA Standards of Perfection), which is bred to conform to a particular standard or purpose. A landrace breed share the same utilitarian traits but not necessarily the exact same standard. These breeds as mentioned in our article here have better disease resistance, immunity and just overall a healthier bird.

Swedish flower hens are the largest breed of chickens native to Sweden. This primitave breed almost became extinct. A couple of decades ago remnant flocks were identified in three small, rural Swedish villages and a focused effort was made to save the breed. They are thought to have developed their individually speckled plumage as a means of survival as the “flowers” act as the perfect camouflage against predators. They are vaccinated for Marek’s Disease and Non-GMO.

Feed Recommendations: we recommend starting baby chicks out with Sugar Feather Farm chick starter for the first 3 weeks, then switch to our Chicken Grower. Use the Grower Feed until they hit maturation (which is when they start to lay) then switch to Sugar Feather Farm Adult Feed. 

We highly recommend using the Oil of Oregano in their water daily as a supplement to aid with digestion and overall health.

About

Birds are generally 5-8lbs, eggs are on the large size and very good layers. The babies are born healthy and strong. Swedish Flower Hens are generally calm birds, non-aggressive and somewhat intelligent. Some seem to enjoy human interaction.

 Because they are landrace birds each chick is born unique. As a landrace, this breed was not intentionally created by a breeder carefully selecting birds as part of a structured breeding program. Rather, this breed was created through natural selection and random pairings as the breed adapted to the climate and conditions southern Sweden.