Recent content by SeattleSelkie

Anything showing red at that age is a cockerel. Pullets won't start pinking up until they are much closer to laying age.

Did you find a rooster for your project yet? I have a friend with a Delaware flock in Silverdale that may have an extra rooster, if you want me to check.

Looking a little suspect as a cockerel......comb size, little wattles, even the stance....but another week or two should tell you for sure. I have found a fair amount of variation in lines.....mine are very distinct with black feathering appearing on the chests early and significant comb...

Afraid not.

Clover is a pullet.

Pullet. Cockerel would have a bigger comb and black coming in on the chest at this age.

This 9 month old Ameraucana cockerel is a bit jinxed. He has had three homes lined up, but all have fallen through......no fault of his own. I would prefer to find him a home rather than the freezer, but his time is getting short. He is in one of my grow-out pens and I need it soon. If anyone is...

I am on my second hygrometer and it has ceased working, as the first one did. I would not, at this point, put any reliance on them. I have two other small meters in there and they are both spot on. I also had to replace the power cord and the replacement is working fine so far. As others have...

While I don't have time to answer all your questions, I will emphasize a couple of points of my opinion. There is a big difference between hatchery birds (which you would find at the feed store) and a good breeder's line of Welsummers. The dark egg color is best found in breeder's lines. The...

I have tons of predators. When I went out this morning to let my birds out, there was our resident coyote sniffing around outside the fence. But in the three years he has been around, he has been unable to get inside our electric poultry netting. No doubt he has touched it, and now respects it...

My hens lay either a matte egg or a speckled egg. I don't see them vary, at least with those who lay the big speckIy pattern. I try to keep a mix of both, but the majority of mine lay the solid matte finish which I like as I strive for a deep terracotta color. Here are the eggs I entered in...

My hens are back in production after their big fall molt. These are 2-3 year olds and I continue to be impressed with the color, size and abundance of their eggs. My annual production count from last year was 180-200 eggs per bird. Most laid consistently at 4.5-5 eggs/week, with 10 weeks off for...

I think so much of that depends on how much room you give them. Chickens do not do well with crowding, and that includes Welsummers. While they are not a large breed (like an Orpington) they are quite active. Mine are pastured in moveable coops with electric net fences, which deters my many...

I raise two related lines of Welsummers and both show a bit of variety for when they start laying. All birds are individual and time of year, along with factors such as feed, can influence point of lay. I have pullets that were all hatched in May of this year......some started at 24 weeks, some...

My experience as well. The line I have (from a Sustainable Poultry Network breeder) lays well for about 4-5 years. The cockerels I process at 16 weeks are a good large carcass of 5 lbs and I find the taste superior to my other layer breeds. The hatchery birds I have seen are smaller, so I would...