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  1. SeattleSelkie

    Australorps breed Thread

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

    Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

    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.
  3. SeattleSelkie

    The Welsummer Thread!!!!

    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...
  4. SeattleSelkie

    The Welsummer Thread!!!!

    Afraid not.
  5. SeattleSelkie

    The Welsummer Thread!!!!

    Clover is a pullet.
  6. SeattleSelkie

    The Welsummer Thread!!!!

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

    Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

    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...
  8. SeattleSelkie

    Incuview Incubator

    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...
  9. SeattleSelkie

    The Welsummer Thread!!!!

    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...
  10. SeattleSelkie

    The Welsummer Thread!!!!

    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...
  11. SeattleSelkie

    The Welsummer Thread!!!!

    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...
  12. SeattleSelkie

    The Welsummer Thread!!!!

    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...
  13. SeattleSelkie

    The Welsummer Thread!!!!

    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...
  14. SeattleSelkie

    The Welsummer Thread!!!!

    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...
  15. SeattleSelkie

    Australorps breed Thread

    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...
  16. SeattleSelkie

    The Wyandotte Thread

    Best of luck with your project! I have gotten the strong impression, after researching through various means, that this breed is not focused on for practical use by breeders. Since I have not found one breeder who can give me an accurate sense of production, I must assume it is all about the...
  17. SeattleSelkie

    The Wyandotte Thread

    Thanks for your thoughts, Sylvester. I guess I am wishing to take the same approach with a new-dual purpose breed as I have with my Welsummers. I breed to standard, yet emphasize production and egg characteristics. My birds are good examples of the standard, and also lay up to 200 size large...
  18. SeattleSelkie

    The Wyandotte Thread

    I am trying to identify and locate a strain of wyandottes that is bred to standard but with a particular focus on dual purpose production......annual egg output of 170 or more and a nice cockerel carcass at 16-20 weeks. I run a small sustainable farm and would love to add this heritage breed, if...
  19. SeattleSelkie

    The Welsummer Thread!!!!

    Hmmm, I think you will just have to wait to be sure, but I bet they are pullets. Tail growth can be very individual, and not an indicator of sex. To be honest, these seem to have markings different than the Welsummer lines I am familiar with. The spots on the head and the very wide, dark eye...
  20. SeattleSelkie

    The Welsummer Thread!!!!

    I have had them start to lay anywhere from 24-30 weeks. As the daylight starts to fade this time of year, it can be the latter part of the spectrum.
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