My Welsummers

[aart]

Thought I'd start a thread to document the development of the 2 Wellies I got this last weekend.
I plan on taking new pics every week or so at first then at longer intervals as they mature.

Supposed to be a male approx. 1 1/2 weeks old and a female approx. 2 1/2 weeks old......
.....but only time will tell depending on lines.

Any experienced feedback as to age, lines, gender are welcome.

Female 2 1/2 weeks















Male 1 1/2 weeks

 

[Peep-Chicken]

Their really pretty!

 

[bwalden]

Well your guess are correct on the sexes. They have a lot of growing and filling in to do before you can really tell much about them. Lines would be impossible to tell. If whomever you got them from had info on that would be your only hope. I would say the male looks a little older than 1.5 weeks to me. But they look like nice Wellie chicks to me. Good luck with them!

 

[Opa]

I have been raising Welsummers for year and you suggest that once your birds are fully feathered you look at the Welsummer Club Of North America's website to be able to evaluate your birds

 

[aart]

@bwalden Thanks, I think they might both be older than cited...and I got no response when I asked about lines. I think that can make a difference when IDing gender at young age.

@Opa No opinion on gender and age?

 

[bwalden]

@bwalden
  Thanks, I think they might both be older than cited...and I got no response when I asked about lines. I think that can make a difference when IDing gender at young age.

@Opa
  No opinion on gender and age?

Yes I would tend to agree that certain lines do have more pronounced head/eye marking per gender than do other lines. Mine are from two lines. Channing Grisham lines and Lowell Barber lines, both I can 99% tell the correct sex at hatch. I left 1% there because people have sent me pics of my chicks(I sell hatching eggs a lot) and I've missed guessed the sex from a picture. Just goes to show a picture doesn't always show the full detail like in person. I've been breeding/hatching Wellies for several years and I've never missed guessed one here at my farm just based solely on head/eye markings. If you got them from a store example TSC, a feed store, etc. then they are likely hatchery Wellies. I have had hatchery Wellies in the past. You will find they are not quite as quality of birds as from a private breeder. They don't tend to look for traits that private breeders do when breeding. They don't care about the breed SOP or egg color. Now with all that being said. You can still end up with decent looking birds that lay decent looking eggs, even from a hatchery. I had a few at one time. In fact my mother still has some of them. She doesn't breed towards the SOP, she just likes a little color in her egg basket. She has about 50 Barred Rocks and 30 Cinnamon Queens and a few white Leghorns. I guess it's all in your perspective. What are your goals? What are your trying to achieve with them? Show birds or just pets? Selling hatching eggs or just eating the eggs? It's really just how far do you want to take it I guess.... Like Opa mentioned the WCNA is an excellent place to learn info/history about the breed. I am a member. I recommend joining. I thinks it's like $10. They also have a great Facebook page with lots of interaction.

 

[aart]

Thanks bwalden....I did not get these from a hatchery or TSC, they came from a local 'breeder', but I do not know where they got their stock from.

Goal is just darker eggs, and the hens are beautiful...may keep the roo or sell him or eat him...not sure, will know in about 6 months
I am insatiably curious and a scientist/engineer by nature..thinking about all the details trying to find as much info as possible

Have visited the WCNA but didn't find many pics between day olds and adults.

 

[aart]

My baby welsummer looked like a "she" to a lot of people due to the dark eyeliner and whatnot, but I can report he is now a very large cockerel. Here are some pictures of the baby, and how he turned out:







(If it's unclear, he's the one in back

)

 

[bwalden]

Yeah it is not always 100% depending on the line of birds. If this were one of my chicks I would say pullet. My roo chicks don't have eye markings like this one. I remember seeing that post on the Welsummer thread. I may have even commented on it. lol

 

[aart]

What I'm wondering now is....are the first breast feathers the true adult colors, or can they can change during one of the juvenile mini molts?