The Swedish Flower Hen is a dual-purpose chicken. It is less common than other chicken breeds but in demand if you can find the chicks for sale. They are also called Blommehons. Their uniqueness comes from the fact that every single one of them looks different. When you see them together in a flock, each will have a variety of colors.
Some have white-tipped feathers or whitish spots at the tips of their feathers. This is what gives them their flowered and speckled appearance. These chickens originated in Sweden and were introduced in the United States in 2010.
They have a calm and easy-going temperament which makes them ideal to raise around children. And being Swedish Flower Hen chickens are a landrace breed, they are extremely hardy.
Swedish Flower Chicken is a Landrace Chicken
A landrace breed of chicken is one that is developed by natural selection in a particular geographical location, rather than being created by artificial selection. This means they were developed in response to the geographical environment, such as altitude, temperature, and humidity.
They do fairly well in cold temperatures. They are a single comb breed. The smaller the comb, the less prone they will be to frostbite.
Landrace types only came about because of their practicality in the environment they lived in. Humans didn’t interfere with crossbreeding, trying for a particular purpose or color. For this reason, landrace breeds, including Swedish Flower Hens, are particularly useful and utilitarian. It is also a reason these chickens are so many different colors and patterns.
The standard for this breed has not been approved by the American Poultry Association, so there is no official standard in terms of physical appearance. This allows for a great deal of variation.
Swedish Flowers are considered a medium-sized breed of chicken. Swedish Flower Hens weigh about 5 pounds. Swedish Flower roosters weigh around 6 – 8 pounds.
Swedish Flower Hen Colors
Feather colors include black, red, orange, brown, and blue. Feather pattern can be white tipped and also millefleur which means thousand flowers. These chickens resemble the Speckled Sussex chicken. Spotting in the feathering resembles flowers in the chicken’s appearance.
In rare cases, you may have a chicken referred to as Snow Leopard. Instead of white tips, the feathering is black-tipped.
There are so many combinations, it is rare you will find two alike. In addition to the feather coloring, this breed can also be tasseled (toppie) or crested (like a Polish chicken or a Silkie chicken) or not. There are crested and uncrested varieties.
They have red wattles and single combs. Their eyes are yellow-ish orangish.
Swedish Flower Hen Roosters
Like with the females, the Swedish Flower Hen roosters predominant color combinations are black and white, brown and white, and various shades of pale brown. They have an upright bearing with a broad chest.
In most cases, a Swedish Flower rooster will not be aggressive to their owners. Overall, they are less aggressive than other breeds. However, being a landrace breed, they are aware of their surroundings to help protect against predators and threats.
Another reason to consider raising Swedish Flower Roosters is if you want to hatch fertile eggs. If you do, and you end up with too many males, you can choose to use the roosters for meat. They dress out well and are suitable for the table.
When raising roosters, it is important to consider how many hens you will keep. You should keep one rooster for every 8 – 10 hens in order to keep stress levels down and competition lower.
If you don’t want chicks, the hens will still lay eggs for consumption.
Swedish Flower Hen Temperament
Being a landrace chicken breed, they are hardy chickens. They require the usual care of keeping chickens healthy, safe and stress free.
They are excellent at free ranging and enjoy human interaction. They are friendly, docile and low maintenance, and ideal for first time chicken owners.
Swedish Flower Hens will do well foraging in backyards and on small farms. Regarding noise level, according to my own chicken loudness scale, I consider them to be medium. One concern is if you have nearby neighbors. Consider where you locate their coop as they can be considered a bit loud and chatty.
Overall, they are curious, easy-going and not aggressive. They will love to forage and free range. They will do better with opportunities to free range but can handle confinement with enough space per chicken.
They have fun personalities but aren’t considered lap chickens. They are aware of their surroundings — having foraged for survival for generations — and are somewhat adept at evading predators when given an opportunity.
Swedish Flower Hen Eggs
While they are considered dual-purpose, their primary use is eggs. Swedish Flower Hens are prolific egg layers, often outlaying other breeds known for their egg-laying. Females will lay around 150 – 200 eggs each year. While they may not be considered one of the top best egg laying chickens, they lay a respectable amount.
They will provide a steady supply of light brown eggs that range in size from small to extra large eggs. Swedish Flower Hen egg color is tan, cream, beige, and light brown.
The size of the egg depends on how old the female is when laying. New layers will lay small eggs or pullet eggs. After a few months, she will begin to lay larger eggs. Eventually they will be large and extra large. They will start laying by the time they are six months old.
Their egg laying will decrease in the colder months when there is less natural sunlight. The hens won’t continue laying once they get older. Their lifespan is 8 – 10 years in good conditions. Once they are not longer productive with egg laying, you can decide to keep them or use them for their meat.
If you are interested in hatching chicks yourself, you will likely find a market for Swedish Flower Hen chicks. Or maybe you decide to keep them yourself. The hens are sometimes broody but not known to be overly broody. You may need to help them along.
Swedish Flower Hen Chicks
Check for local hatcheries to find Swedish Flower Hen chicks. Otherwise, you may find them online. However, because Swedish Flower Hens don’t regularly go broody, in the United States, they aren’t as easy to find as other more popular breeds.
Swedish Flower chicks will be a bit more expensive than other chicks because they are more rare. In addition, you will not know what colors and traits they will have until they hatch.
Meat
People who keep Swedish Flower Hen chickens usually do as an egg source. When egg laying slows or diminishes, they may keep them as pets.
Depending on how much room you have and how many chickens you have — you can also use them for meat. You can also use the males for meat. This chicken breed dresses out to a respectable weight.
As a homesteader, you wouldn’t likely want to intentionally choose this breed if you were interested raising meat birds as they are not best meat chickens. However, they are suitable for slaughter and worth the time for the meat they provide.
Other Names
There are many names for this unique chicken. The Swedish Flower Hen is also called Blommehona and Skansk Blommehona. The Swedish translation for blommor means flowers. Other names for the Swedish flower hen include flower chicken, Swedish chickens, Swedish Flower Rocks, and Swedish hens.
Chicken Coop and Shelter
It is important provide them a safe shelter for the evening. It needs to protect them from weather as well as predators. You also want to be sure they won’t be able to escape. Setting up nesting boxes will also help keep their eggs safe from predators such as snakes and make it easier to collect the eggs.
- Chicken run or area to forage; can be a backyard or smaller secure run attached to the chicken coop
- Nesting boxes with bedding, nest filler
- Chicken waterers and feeders
- Perches, roosting bars
Nice to have but not necessary:
- Chicken toys, tree stumps, objects to keep chickens entertained and active
- Multiple chicken feeders and chicken waterers will help reduce stress and minimize food competition among the flock
Learn how to raise backyard chickens to keep them safe and healthy — which in turn provides you will nutrient-rich eggs.
Things to Love About Them
Get ready to fall in love with this beautiful breed. First of all, they are gorgeous chickens with their spots and various colors. Each one is unique. If you are someone who likes to name your chickens, you will likely be able to tell them apart.
Also, if you tend to prefer raising one type chicken, instead of several chicken breeds together, these are ideal. You will still have variety as far as feather coloring and patterns and other traits such as crested, toppled, and comb size.
Another advantage to raising this chicken breed is the females are reliable layers. If you prefer large and extra large eggs, these are the hens to raise for sure. They also dress out well for the table once they stop laying.
They are easy-going and friendly. This makes them ideal for beginner chicken owners. If you have opportunities for the chickens and roosters to free-range, they will help with insect management around your garden and property. They are fairly independent and active. They will be chatty with their flock mates.
Should you decide to hatch Swedish Flower Hen chicks, you can earn extra income by selling the chicks. They may provide a better ROI than chicks from other egg-laying breeds because they are more rare.
Raising Swedish Flower Hens
The largest native chicken in Sweden, these “bloom hens” are used for eggs and meat. Back in the day, in addition to eggs and meat, it is thought the feathers were used to stuff pillows and blankets. As a Swedish landrace breed, they evolved and survived on their own, foraging, roosting and nesting.
Outside of Sweden, there aren’t official breed standards. However, breeders use other criteria such as certain patterns, colors and weight to ensure the bird matches certain specifications. Swedish Flower Hens can be crested or not crested. They are similar in appearance to Speckled Sussex chickens.
They work well in mixed flocks and will not generally be aggressive toward flock members. However, if you are adding new birds to your flock, be slow to introduce them. Be mindful of health concerns. Also, it is best to purchase similar age birds from a similar species at one time.
They do well in backyards and homesteads and are ideal for people who want to start out raising chickens. While they aren’t considered lap chickens, they have a friendly and calm temperament that makes them a popular choice for families with small children.
They provide 3 – 5 eggs per week, making them a decent layer. As the hen ages, the eggs become larger. When they first start laying, the pullet eggs are small. In just a few months time, you will see a noticeable difference in egg size. They will lay large eggs and even extra large eggs.
They are easy to care for and will tolerate confinement but will do much better with opportunities to forage for insects, even in a chicken run.