The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[Happy Chooks]

I hope she's right too! I'll certainly let you know.

 

[naturespace]

Happy, congrats that's a nice looking group. I just love the welsummer babies. They melt my heart.

 

[faykokoWV]

I was editing some pictures for Robin and I came across this hen's pic. I think she has good leg color in person, but it still looks a little faded in the picture

 

[EweSheep]

 

[Happy Chooks]

I was editing some pictures for Robin and I came across this hen's pic. I think she has good leg color in person, but it still looks a little faded in the picture

Wow, she's stunning!

 

[Engteacher]

Please help me with this - all of our young cockerels have light grey fluff at the base of the tail. They were hatched on January 1st. Is this a fault? A flaw? Do I wait until their final adult feathers grow in to worry about it? How do I breed to correct for this if all my cocks have this same problem?

 

[faykokoWV]

Please help me with this - all of our young cockerels have light grey fluff at the base of the tail. They were hatched on January 1st. Is this a fault? A flaw? Do I wait until their final adult feathers grow in to worry about it? How do I breed to correct for this if all my cocks have this same problem?

post 4097 in this thread has some info about this. if you do a search of just this thread looking for grey fluff tail you will see some of the discussions about this.

Ewesheep, what was the final conclusion on the grey fluff issue? I think I read grey ok, white is a no no!

I know one of my roos had grey fluff at the base of his tail, now at age 2 he started growing white feathers. I removed him from the breeding pen, but its frustrating to know that he carries that trait and it didn't show up until now!

 

[pinkchick]

Congrats Kelly!


Engteach~ I say wait until they mature to see if the fluff remains. Sometimes as youngsters the fluff will show until the adult plumage is in. Grey is one thing but white as Fay stated is a no-no. I cannot find anywhere in the SOP book that it is a DQ. White fluff I would think that they would view as a foreign color and would make the fluff a DQ because of its color only.

From the 2010 APA SOP edition

Definition of FLUFF: (1) Part of a feather composed of barbs growing from the lower part of the shaft which are ot hooked together as in the web, resulting in a soft downy character.
(2) The soft, downy feathering on the inner side of the lower thigh and on the abdomen.


Definition of FEATHER: (I'm skipping part 1 and 2 as it describes the upper portions of the feather such as quill and where it attaches and such, basically what parts make up the feather and its importance...I'm happy to add it if needed)
(3) The fluff is that portion at the proximal or lower end of the rachis or shaft where absence of the small hooks cause a feather to be soft and downy in character; not visible when the plumage is in natural position. Note -- the color thereof being known as undercolor.
These 3 section form a firm flexible composite unit which varies in shape, color and texture in the various breeds and varieties of fowl.

In the SOP it states under
Interpretation of Standard:

Color:
Undercolor: Proper surface gives identit, beauty and uniformity. Undercolor is also a characteristic of each color pattern. It should be considered but not granted undue emphasis. In very tight feathered breeds (ex. Malays, Aseels, Shamos, Games, etc.) underfluff may show through at junction of back and tail, shoulders, wingbows, etc.

Under Welsummers on page 150 of the SOP it states:

Color - Male

UNDERCOLOR OF ALL SECTIONS: Slate

(Just noticed that undercolor of the female is not discussed...weird)

but any whooooo....it's my interpretation that if the fluff is grey (slate) it is not a DQ as Welsummers are a tight feathered breed.



Also from the SOP:
FOREIGN COLOR: A color in any part of a fowl that differs greatly from the color prescribed by the Standard. A disqualification in some breeds. (pg. 34) and a defect in others, (pg. 32).

 

[Happy Chooks]

I went out to check on the babies and the one in front in this picture is crowing. (he's only 2 days old) I guess he had to beat his daddy that started crowing at 4 days old.

 

[Hens and Roos]

I went out to check on the babies and the one in front in this picture is crowing. (he's only 2 days old) I guess he had to beat his daddy that started crowing at 4 days old.

Guess you know for sure what he is!!!