Chicken Breed Focus - Welsummer

[Beer can]

My wellie rooster is very calm and nice. And I love their spotted eggs.

 

[bwalden]

Truely awesome breed! I highly reccomend. I've been breeding them for several years now. Got my start with shipped eggs and have grown to a flock of more than 30. Love the dark eggs. The hens and roos have a great disposition. Many lines are sexable at hatch by markings. Thanks for doing the breed review. Many people aren't even aware of this breed.

 

[SkyWorld]

I got to move to a place where I can have more chickens. I just love the looks of this breed and the eggs

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[microchick]

Gorgeous rooster, Beer can.

 

[JillyB]

I have 8 4 week olds that are so talkative! Hubby built me a 16 foot baby coop for mothers day so the babies will be heading outside as soon as the Ohio weather is more predictable! Can't wait for beautiful eggs this fall.

 

[dennislambert79]

Yep, one of my Welsummer  "pullets" crowed yesterday too. I'm glad though because I really wanted one of these beautiful cockerels in our flock.

We have 4 Wellies, two pullets, two cockerels and really enjoy them being around. They are gentle and intelligent, ours are not 'cuddlers' but they are not overly afraid of us either.

I highly recommend adding them to your flock if possible.

I can hardly wait to get eggs from our two girls in a few months and if one of the boys breeds our Buff Orp hens and she goes broody, some beautifully colored chicks in the future.

Your lucky I had someone sex a couple for me and all I got was girls and I said I wanted a boy because they are handsome birds

 

[microchick]

I feel lucky to have two cockerels. They were supposed to be pullets and had the distinctive eyeliner and skull cap but as they matured, theirs faded while the two females remained dark. They also developed tiny combs and wattles at about three to four weeks. When the breast feathers came in black I couldn't 'ignore' the signs anymore. So the eyeliner and skull cap wasn't 100% for us in sexing the chicks at two days.

The boys are getting along right now but the Wellies are definitely maturing faster than our Buff Orpingtons. I've heard both Bo and Jessie (The Wellies are named after characters on The Dukes of Hazzard, Bo, Jessie, Daisy and LuLu.) There is a minimum of mock fighting between the boys but nothing serious.....yet, and the Wellies seem content with the largest Buff male being in charge. I hope they keep that attitude. Now I'm looking to get two more pullets to replace the two Welsummers that turned out to be boys.

Will they be Wellies? Dunno. Depends on what I can get that is close to our flocks age

 

[conklinator]

I recently added 2 Welsummers to my mixed flock for the darker eggs, and I think they are quickly becoming my favorites. They seem to be the most friendly and least skiddish in the bunch. Can't wait until they start laying.

 

[DebbyD]

I have 4 6 week old pullets and can't wait for the speckled eggs. I bought all my birds for pretty chickens that lay pretty eggs (Crested Cream Legbars, Black Copper Marans, Easter Eggers and Welsummers) and I think the wellie's eggs are probably the prettiest. Does anyone know an average age when they start laying - early or late? None of the hatcheries that have info on every other breed says on the wellies.

 

[bwalden]

I have 4 6 week old pullets and can't wait for the speckled eggs.  I bought all my birds for pretty chickens that lay pretty eggs (Crested Cream Legbars, Black Copper Marans, Easter Eggers and Welsummers) and I think the wellie's eggs are probably the prettiest.  Does anyone know an average age when they start laying - early or late?  None of the hatcheries that have info on every other breed says on the wellies.

I'd say on average 6-8 months when they start laying