The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[shantaram]

I bought this sweet lady over a year ago - she was a lonely survivor of raccoon attack, owner had no idea what breed it is. She lay around 4 brown eggs a week.Is she a Welsummer? And another mystery - adopted baby chick changed into white rooster - what is it?

 

[MesMama]

She looks like a Welsummer to me! But I'm new to the breed so hopefully someone else will chime in as well Either way she is BEAUTIFUL!

 

[shantaram]

She is my first and favorite . Her name is Koko and whenever I am saying "Koko!" whole flock is running like crazy with her first .

 

[MesMama]

She is my first and favorite . Her name is Koko and whenever I am saying "Koko!" whole flock is running like crazy with her first . 

Awww! She sounds like a sweetie!!

 

[Lilyput]

She looks just like my Welsummer.

 

[firedragon1982]

Finally got my first egg from the chicks from late Sept! And it's a beautifully speckled little wellie egg!

 

[Red Banks]

Are there any Welsummer breeders in North Florida with chicks on this thread?

 

[Dorsey34]

Hello! We are ready to start our backyard chicken adventure and are considering the Welsummer breed for our first chickens. Would you recommend this breed for beginners? Anything special we should know about the breed?

Thank you!

 

[room onthebroom]

I see you're new to BYC. Welcome!

I can't answer your question, because it depends on your situation (What are you looking for in your flock, can you have roosters where you live, are there small children or other pets involved, etc...) As for me personally, I live in suburbia, cant have roosters & have kids, pugs & neighbors interacting with the hens daily. In our situation we opted to start with more mellow birds like Red Stars, Black Stars, Brahmas, Orpingtons. The bonus of the Red & Black Stars (also called Sex-Links) is that you can tell if they're male or female right away. Don't get me wrong, we love our Wellie, but she's not the faithful, lap-chicken that will want to sit on your lap or be carried around by the kids all day.

 

[dekel18042]

Hello! We are ready to start our backyard chicken adventure and are considering the Welsummer breed for our first chickens. Would you recommend this breed for beginners? Anything special we should know about the breed?

Thank you!

I have many different breeds in my flock. I see no reason why welsummers couldn't be your first chickens. We have no problems with them and their eggs are a lovely terra cotta, often with speckles. They can be used in the making of olive eggers for those who intend to breed.
They also have the advantage of being an autosexing breed.
Sexing the sexlinks works only for the first generation so you have to keep making them over and over. They don't breed true. The welsummers as a breed can be sexed when hatched. The girls look like they are wearing eye shadow and have a dark line leading back from the eye. The boys have paler or broken lines and no eye shadow.
Even my olive eggers that are half welsummer can be sexed this way, so there are many advantages to this breed.
If it's the number of eggs you're after, then a sex link will give you more. However my olive eggers do lay more eggs than their welsummer mothers.