Pluses and minuses of welsummers

[PoultryPotts]

For my flock I want dark eggs at good production. So I want welesummers. What are some of the advantages and disvantages of welsummers.

 

[EweSheep]

They are perfect for me!

Pluses for Welsummers: temperment, disposition, feather colors, lays terra cotta eggs, lays somewhere between 150-170 eggs a year (more or less), and can tolerate close quarters/confinements. (not in a battery cage). Some are quiet and others are "talkative".

Minuses: if you want darker eggs, look elsewhere. I personally do NOT like hatchery Welsummers-their eggs are not as dark as the breeder's Welsummers and most of them have nasty temperment at best.

 

[Kanchii]

Mine were the biggest pigs I actually got rid of them because feeding them was a nightmare for our feed bill.

They seriously ate many times more than my other birds, always gorging themselves but grew slowly.

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:
Wow, mine are frugal LOL! Maybe with table scraps LOL!

 

[dizzychicken]

I have a flock of Welsummers and I am contemplating if I want to sell them off or not.

They are very beautiful birds. The roosters are my very favorite out of all breeds. My group is very docile, lazy in fact. The rooster even gets into the nesting box and pretend to lay so the hens will get up there and do their jobs. They are quite and don't eat that much at all. My EE can out eat the Wellies by a mile.

The con I have with my flock is that they are personable. My EE come running and just have personality. The Welsummers absolutely don't want to have anything to do with my treats. LOL and that hurts my feelings. The EE on the other hand will dance for their treats and be begging for more. Also their egg production is not efficient enough for me. They lay about every 3 days or so. My dh loves them though so I know it will be a fight to get rid of them.


Good luck!

 

[Wynette]

I had three at one time, and am now down to one. She is the loudest of all my hens, constantly cackling - but I like that about her. Her eggs, IMO, are nice - darker than a whole lot of Marans I've seen:

But, she does not lay well, and stops completely from November through February (I do not use artificial light). Still, she's a fun one to have around, and one of my favorites! If they are all as loud as my girl, I don't know if I could handle an entire flock of them, though.

 

[thegoogers]

We love our welsummers. The hens are talkative but very sweet. The Roo's are stunning and ours has a nice crow ever morning. We have eggs like the one posted above nice and consistant with their color. Ours do lay well. We have been getting 5 eggs a week from our girls. They are our favorite breed.

 

[speckledhen]

Mine are from a breeder. One lays a very dark egg while the other one is several shades lighter, but has beautiful speckles. They are very mild-mannered so are picked on at times. They are quiet, sweet girls, though not super friendly. If they laid every single day, the eggs would be much lighter, so you really can't have super-high production with dark egg color. Mine are good layers, every other day.

 

[amazondoc]

IMHO there are few negatives to Wellies. I currently have three girls of laying age plus one roo, and I get a steady two eggs per day. They are nice to look at, friendly, and don't cause trouble in the flock. And good wellies can lay eggs as dark as many Marans. The roos are very handsome, and usually can rule the roost without being excessively aggressive. In fact, I like them so much that I have 7 more chicks growing up right now.

The major negative, for me, is that there's only one variety available in this country.

ETA: Oh P.S. -- if you are interested in Wellies, there's a nice yahoogroups list for them. And we are currently in the process of putting together a new Wellie club.

 

[SweetMissDaisy]

I love my Welsummers! I wish I'd bought more last year! They are one breed I will always keep. Their eggs are LOVELY, the girls are beautiful, and get along well with all the various breeds in the yard including silkie, cuckoo marans, bantams, and polish. I don't think you'll be disappointed in the breed, OR with their beautiful eggs!!