The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[risk]

I dont know where you are located, but you can have him if your close enough.

I live in Lexington, Tennessee

 

[acsteele]

Just started with chickens this summer...went with Buff Orpingtons to learn with. great birds, in a rock solid coop and run...going to add White orps in the spring, but I may start another coop for welsummers, I just love the good looks, and reports of their good dispositions.

Here's my question, how do welsummers work as free range birds? Semi rural area, but I'm hoping that with plenty of places to hide, and their natural camo, they could avoid the few cats/dogs that might make it through electric fence.

anyone free range their welsummers? how well do they do?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Peep-Chicken]

Just started with chickens this summer...went with Buff Orpingtons to learn with. great birds, in a rock solid coop and run...going to add White orps in the spring, but I may start another coop for welsummers, I just love the good looks, and reports of their good dispositions. 

Here's my question, how do welsummers work as free range birds? Semi rural area, but I'm hoping that with plenty of places to hide, and their natural camo, they could avoid the few cats/dogs that might make it through electric fence. 

anyone free range their welsummers? how well do they do?

Thanks in advance!

Mine arnt completely free range but I let them out an hour or two each day usually. They just love being free range. When I'm going in and out if the door, the wait for a chance to slip out. I would say myself they are great free range birds. Sometimes I 'lose' then but they are right there. They blend Into dead leaves. Lol

 

[Happy Chooks]

Just started with chickens this summer...went with Buff Orpingtons to learn with. great birds, in a rock solid coop and run...going to add White orps in the spring, but I may start another coop for welsummers, I just love the good looks, and reports of their good dispositions.

Here's my question, how do welsummers work as free range birds? Semi rural area, but I'm hoping that with plenty of places to hide, and their natural camo, they could avoid the few cats/dogs that might make it through electric fence.

anyone free range their welsummers? how well do they do?

Thanks in advance!

I don't always free range as we've had a fox patroling lately. (and there isn't much to free range here in brown, dry CA right now) They are excellent foragers and do enjoy their free ranging time.

Now with that said, no rooster or chicken is a match for a dog. If a dog gets in and want's to "play" with the chickens, you are going to lose a lot of them.

 

[jenifern]

Just started with chickens this summer...went with Buff Orpingtons to learn with. great birds, in a rock solid coop and run...going to add White orps in the spring, but I may start another coop for welsummers, I just love the good looks, and reports of their good dispositions.

Here's my question, how do welsummers work as free range birds? Semi rural area, but I'm hoping that with plenty of places to hide, and their natural camo, they could avoid the few cats/dogs that might make it through electric fence.

anyone free range their welsummers? how well do they do?

Thanks in advance!

Mine free range with all my other chickens. They do just fine and wander much farther than my silkies do. Birds that don't do well free ranging are birds that have lots of feathers around their heads like silkies and Polish, as they can't see as well. I sadly did lose one silkie to a hawk. I have several well "seeing" roosters who will call out a warning when ravens or predatory birds fly over. I have a good dog who I think helps keep things like coyotes and foxes at bay. I also have lots of forest and shrubery for them to hide in and that is key as opposed to a wide open field.

 

[Nickeyo]

If u want to free range get either a few fighting breeds in with ur main breeds as a bit of added protection, or guinea fowl that, if u have enough, they group together and chase foxes of, or get a couple of ex battery hens in with ur free range flock, I have some and when my neighbours to fox hounds came into the garden my welsummers and Wyandottes fled but the battery's stayed and went for the dogs, going for their nose and eyes, the two dogs ran off, admittedly they are not vicious but still big.

 

[OohLaLa]

It's an odd Welsummer weekend for me. My 16wk old rooster mounted (for a brief moment) my 31wk old lead EE hen today (a first). On the more heart wrenching side… When I purchased him as a day old I also got two day old girls so he would have some of his own breed (I know like a rooster really cares about that).
Any way….while tending my flock yesterday and giving them a Kale treat I noticed one of the two girls would not come over, instead she sat huddled against the post and feeder base. I called to her and when she tried to come to me I was horrified. Her legs were crumpled up under her and she kept falling over. I scooped her up to find that she was a bloody mess from above her lower back down over her vent and her legs. She had been viciously attacked by a few members of the flock for some unknown reason. They have been together for many months with no issue before.
I have her in isolation in a basement pen. She is eating and drinking, but can not stand. One leg flys out to the side and she throws a wing down to steady herself. The body damage (which includes a beak shaped missing chunk) might heal, but the leg has me concerned. Should I try hobbs? Or take her out of her misery and cull? She is such a sweet young thing, I do not give up easily on injured animals but there is a time where it is more for the owner than the birds sake to keep it alive.

Warning these pictures are graphic but will give you some idea of the damage. Advice???

 

[FlashPointFarm]

Chickens have amazing healing abilities and can come back from this. I would watch the flock, there may be an aggressive bird in the flock that is picking on the others severely.

So separate the injured birds, start antibiotics and put some neosporin or similar salve on the wound. Use no salves with "Cain" in it for pain control, as it will kill the bird.

Chickens have the ability to regrow skin and feathers in the new skin. It will just take some time.

 

[OohLaLa]

Chickens have amazing healing abilities and can come back from this. I would watch the flock, there may be an aggressive bird in the flock that is picking on the others severely.

So separate the injured birds, start antibiotics and put some neosporin or similar salve on the wound. Use no salves with "Cain" in it for pain control, as it will kill the bird.

Chickens have the ability to regrow skin and feathers in the new skin. It will just take some time.

Thanks. How about the leg issue. I have used Hobbs on a Yorkshire Terrier pup born a swimmer with great results. I am not sure what the exact injury is but it can not support her and slide our from under her when she tries to stand. The leg has been pecked, but does not appear to be broken. I believe it to be a joint issue.

 

[FlashPointFarm]

Thanks. How about the leg issue. I have used Hobbs on a Yorkshire Terrier pup born a swimmer with great results. I am not sure what the exact injury is but it can not support her and slide our from under her when she tries to stand. The leg has been pecked, but does not appear to be broken. I believe it to be a joint issue.

Myself, I have never had good luck with joint issues. Those I always cull, as it looks painful and they rarely, if ever, recover from such a injury. Maybe something tried to pull it through a fence, like a coon. You might want to put some hardware cloth around the coop and put out a trap.