Nordhøne

What is a Nordhøne?

First generation (2024) black Nordhøne hen.

The name can be translated from the Norwegian or Danish language and means "north hen". My Scandinavian family ancestry contains most ties through Norway and Denmark and a small influence of Sweden.
This passion project of mine began in 2023 as I started to develop a uniquely stunning, docile bird built for cold weather that lays "frosted" (heavy-bloomed) eggs. And, being from Minnesota, cold-hardiness is crucial to survive the extreme winters that we experience.
Unimpeded arctic air sweeps down from the north, bringing with it all the wind, snow, ice, sub-zero temps, and shortened hours of daylight. Snowstorms can start as early as October and last into late April.

What makes up the Nordhøne?

Several, mostly rare breeds. Many are from the breeds I currently carry as well as those I no longer have. You will notice that this breed may have black skin. This is from the Svart, not the Ayam Cemani.
A list of common or popular breeds it does NOT contain are: Black Copper Marans, Brahmas, Australorps, Delawares, Rhode Islands, Leghorns, Cochins, and Orpingtons to name a few. No bantam breeds either.
Ideally, the goal is for a larger, stout, thick-bodied bird with a smaller comb and smaller or non-existent wattles, feathered shanks, and darker in color to absorb sunlight for warmth.

How did you start the heavy bloom process?

For my first generation, I only hatched eggs from the hens that had the heaviest blooms. This first generation (F1) was the most difficult because the roosters were an unknown. Although most of my roosters were hatched by myself, I wasn't keeping track of that trait prior so there was no way of me knowing or remembering. So, I wasn't able to tell until the hens from that first hatch began laying and whether or not they inherited the heavier bloom. F1 hens without blooms were removed from the program.
And I saved several of the more docile roosters from that first hatch, knowing they were at least from a hen that may have passed that genetic along. From there, I've continued to develop my program.
The nice thing about this breed is that I am able to pull in new individuals from foundation breeds at any given time as long as the hen meets the criteria, thus why the emphasis on the "høne" or "hen" part of the name - because her bloom is the key element.
While there may be a small potential of bloom loss occasionally when new blood is added, high levels of inbreeding can be avoided to maintain health robustness and integrity.

First generation (2024) blue Nordhøne hen.

How many eggs does the Nordhøne lay every year? What color and size do they lay?

Based on the averages of the breeds used, the estimated production per year is 200-250 eggs. They can lay just about any color as the focus is more on the bloom than the egg color. Blooms usually appear in variations of pink, purple, or white. Egg size is currently around medium to large.

Eggs below are representations of what we're breeding in the Nordhone.