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10+ Svart Hona (Swedish Black Hen) Fertile Hatching Eggs World's Rarest Chicken!
$ 15.83
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Description
10+ Svart Hona (Swedish Black Hen) Fertile Hatching Eggs.World’s Rarest Chicken!
The more desirable cousin of the Ayam Cemani. Winter Hardy, Fibromelanistic All Black birds.
You are bidding on10+ Svart Hona (Swedish Black Hen) chicken fertile hatching eggs from my backyard flock.
This breed is VERY rare. (Some say the RAREST of all chicken breeds). It is reported that a recent poultry census in their native Sweden was only able to verify less than 500 of these unique birds. They are extremely new to the United States also.
Greenfire Farms of Florida imported the first pair of
Svart Honas from their native Sweden in 2012. They brought in additional unrelated birds in 2013. The Greenfire Farms website states: “To the best of our knowledge these are the only Swedish Black Hens in America that were imported from their native country, thus ensuring that you receive authentic stock from the original source.”
My birds (and the eggs that you will receive) can be traced back directly to the Greenfire line and the Ewe Crazy Farms line.
I am proud to have a small flock of these rare Swedish heritage Svart Hona chickens.
I have a limited number of eggs that I can offer at auction on eBay.
I have been keeping various types of poultry, from quail to peafowl, on and off for over 40 years.
I was fortunate to be offered the chance to acquire a small group of these amazing chickens in 2016.
I did not hesitate and jumped at the opportunity!
Svart Honas are by far the rarest breed of fowl that I have ever kept!!!!
Raising some of the few Svart Honas available in The US has been a dream come true for me.
I can't recommend them enough.
If you found my listing because you were specifically looking for this rare and beautiful breed, or you are familiar with their cousin the Ayam Cemani you probably already know about the incredible fibromelanistic characteristic of this breed. This mutation can be traced to Asian birds living 800 years ago.
The genetics cause the proliferation of black pigment in the bird’s cells. The chickens are almost totally black, although some have a deep mulberry red color to their facial skin. In the sunlight, the feathers shine with iridescent purple and green color….a magnificent sight to behold.
As gorgeous as these Black Beauties are on the outside….the fibromelanistic trait continues INSIDE the birds as well!
The abundance of melanin does not only create the blackest feathers possible, but extends throughout these birds. They have black eyes, beaks, legs, skin, toe nails, and combs.
Their mouths are black with gray tongues. It is said that the insides are completely black also. I have never eaten one of my precious Svart Honas, so I can not personally verify that, but I can tell you that the chicks hatch out as the cutest black fluff balls ever!
All of the characteristics of their better known cousin the Ayam Cemani are preserved in the Svart Hona breed. There is one exception…the Svart Honas are WAY more winter hardy than their tropical relative. It is said that the Ayam Cemani has been around 800 years as a breed in the warm climate of Indonesia. The Svart Hona started out as Ayam Cemani stock that was transported to Norway and Sweden 400 years ago by merchant sailors.
This has given the “landrace” Svart Hona breed a long time to adapt to the harsh winters of Scandinavia! This is super important to me, since I live in Northern Illinois where the winters can be brutal.
Even though Svart Honas are a single comb breed, they are highly frost bite resistant. I have had zero frostbite problems with my birds. They winter in an unheated horse barn.
I have had some frostbite issues with other single comb chicken breeds housed in that exact same barn…..but NOT my Svart Honas!
If you are considering Ayam Cemani chickens, and live in a northerly climate like me, you might want to consider Svart Honas instead.
1. Svart Honas are a smallish chicken. The roosters weigh in at about 4 pounds. Many folks claim that only a well trained eye can distinguish them from the Ayam Cemani chickens.
2.They are very calm and docile in nature.
My birds are laid back chickens but due to their small size, they can take to flight if spooked. However, they are not easily frightened. They are docile and make excellent pets around children.
3. They are beautiful birds….just check out the pictures!
These are the actual parents of the eggs that you will receive from my breeding flock. My
birds are confident and stately
birds.
They are gorgeous birds, with their green and purple iridescence shimmering in the sunlight.
They make excellent “Chicken Eye Candy” in the yard and are always a conversation starter.
4. Even though they are small chickens, they lay a fairly decent size egg for their size. No “banty” eggs here. The eggs tend to be rounded and cream colored. Most breeders of Svart Honas report 140-150 eggs per hen per year.
5. AND BEST OF ALL, THEY ARE AN EXCELLENT FORAGING BREED.
If you let your birds free range in the yard (which is the whole fun of it for me) they will do extremely well. This breed being a landrace breed in Sweden is known for their foraging abilities.
A NOTE ABOUT WORKING WITH RARE “LANDRACE” BREEDS:
This breed was developed by over 400 years as a working local breed in Sweden. It is what it is BECAUSE of this working genetic heritage.
Only a small number of birds were imported into the United States between 2012 & 2013. In 2014 The USDA put a ban on all future importation of foreign poultry. This means that the American gene pool of Svart Honas is limited….that is the foundation of the RARE part of the breed. It is, in my opinion, up to modern poultrymen to preserve and improve this awesome breed through sound breeding practices.
We will have to spend the next decade or so carefully choosing which birds we breed from in order to protect the American Svart Hona breed.
Most breeders focus on the fibromelanistic trait.
I believe that this is important, but not that simple. I do not want to forsake the demeanor or body type of the Svart Hona in order to produce the blackest bird.
That is only PART of the philosophy of my breeding program.
Be advised that if you get involved in raising Svart Hona chickens you are getting in on the ground floor. That, to me, is WAY COOL.
However, the breed does have color leakage in the genes. Birds with mulberry facial skin is common and should be expected.
You will also hatch chicks with an occasional white toe, a white feather here and there, or possibly some “muddy” hackle feathers.That is just the reality of this very rare breed. My birds are not perfect….but neither are the other guy’s birds, no matter what he tells you.
If you decide that raising Rare Svart Hona chickens is a project for you (like I have done for myself) please realize that it is A PROJECT that will take time and effort. This breed is NOT recognized by any serious American Poultry Association, nor will it be for a long time. No Standard of Perfection or perfect Svart Hona Chicken exists.
To me….this is the FUN part of being able to get involved with improving this breed from the ground floor!!!!!
If you do not comprehend this, maybe Svart Honas are not the breed for you.
Please think about this before bidding.
Not since I was a kid in 4H have I been so excited about the fun and potential of working with such a rare and unique breed of poultry.
Keeping Svart Honas for me so far has been a real hoot…..if you are into this sort of thing anyway!
I repeat, I LOVE these birds!
I keep my birds in a tight ratio of 1 rooster to 4 hens, so as you can imagine, I get EXCELLENT fertility.
Even if you are not into animal genetics and selective breeding like I am, I think that Svart Hona chickens will become your favorites, just because of their stunning looks and docile personalities!
They can be an excellent choice for your homestead or Urban Chicken project.
Your kids will have them all tamed and named as pets in short order.
I have shipped eggs through the mail many times before.
So I know how to pack them in order that they arrive in one piece. (Just check out my feedback from my previous satisfied customers!) But as extra insurance for you, I will include an extra egg (or two if the girls cooperate) to cover the possibility of unforeseen damage in the mail.
If the unthinkable does happen, contact me immediately.
You will find me to be a very reasonable person to deal with and I will try hard to work things out for you.
Eggs will arrive clean, but I do not wash the eggs. Washing destroys the protective barrier that the hen puts on the egg to keep bacteria out.
This protects the embryo inside. However I do clean them with a dry brush
.
It is important that you pay for your eggs QUICKLY after the auction ends.
It is in YOUR best interest that I get the eggs in the mail as soon as possible.
Remember that you will need to let the eggs set pointy side down for 24 hours BEFORE placing them in your incubator.
A NOTE ABOUT INCUBATORS: I have used various models over four decades of hatching eggs on and off. Still air units to models with fans.
Table top models to expensive cabinet ones.
Wafers to electronic thermostats. Turned ‘em by hand myself, used automatic turners, even let broody hens do the hard labor.
You name it. All
methods have pros and cons, and EVERYBODY has an opinion about what works best.
The one thing I do know is that I HAVE NO CONTROL OVER YOUR INCUBATOR OR YOUR HATCHING PRACTICES. So please leave me feedback based on
the condition of the eggs at arrival and my communications dealing with your order
.
I can not be held responsible for your hatch.
A NOTE ABOUT SHIPPING EGGS IN THE MAIL:
It is always better to buy your fertile hatching eggs locally and handle them yourself.
However, this is not always possible.
I have on occasion, had to turn to the internet to find the exact breed, color, or variety of bird that I am looking for.
There are always added risks involved in shipping eggs.
The biggest obstacle is The United States Postal Service.
It is not necessarily that the eggs arrive broken, but that they arrive SHAKEN.
I will clearly mark your eggs as FRAGILE HANDLE WITH CARE.
However much of today’s modern postal service is operated through the use of machines, conveyances, and conveyor belts.
Those machines do not read the warning labels.
The biggest risk to your eggs is the formation of “saddle air sacks” due to too much shaking going on.
Research this on the internet and you will find that saddle sacks can allow the embryos to develop, but cause difficulty with hatching due to the transition between deriving oxygen from the yolk sack to breathing with their lungs at the time of the hatch.
Due to these inherent risks of shipping eggs, which is out of my control, I CAN NOT be held responsible for the success of your hatch.
However, having said that, I personally have shipped many eggs through the mail system and had what I consider reasonable and expected hatch rates. As a matter of fact, I own several breeds of birds BECAUSE I received eggs shipped through the mail myself.
I would have NEVER been able to obtain these rare chickens locally.
For this I owe my thanks to the USPS.
I would encourage you to have your eggs held at the Post Office for Pick UP.
This eliminates the final delivery leg in a hot/cold or over packed mail truck.
If you would like, I can mark your eggs HOLD AT POST OFFICE FOR PICK UP.
Just include your phone number and a note with these instructions with your PayPal payment.
NOTE: it is important that during the Winter season, that you pay attention to the weather conditions in your area BEFORE bidding on my hatching eggs. Winter storms and predicted temperature forecasts must be taken into consideration BEFORE bidding. If conditions warrant on my end, I will surround your eggs in Styrofoam and/or include a heat pack to protect these delicate live embryos. Beyond that I can not be responsible Winter shipping variables.
NOTE ABOUT WINTER/EARLY SPRING EGG AVAILABILITY
: Although I sell and ship hatching eggs year round (been doing it for years), there is always an increased interest in eggs when Spring truly kicks in and the weather turns nice again. Many folks look to set eggs during this season and postpone their egg purchases until the buds appear on the trees.
Please realize that this might not only be your thought process, BUT IT IS MINE ALSO! That is when I will be excitedly re-firing up my GQF Sportsman 1502 incubator and setting eggs for my own 2020 hatching season.
In past years, I have found that right about the time egg demand and auction bidding gets rocking, is EXACTLY the time that I have fewer eggs available to offer for sale to the public.
You know what they say about the Early Bird and the Worm thing…..
Consequently, in order to avoid disappointment, it might be prudent for you to seriously consider my Winter/Early Spring egg auctions while the getting’ is good. Just sayin’…..
Above all, leave me feedback based on the condition of the eggs at arrival and my communications dealing with your order. Please DO NOT leave feedback based in whole or part on the outcome of the hatch.
SHIPPING TO THE LOWER 48 ONLY
Good Luck on the auction….and Good Luck with your hatch!