The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[Goose and Fig]

My wellie girls are really loud when they lay too. Never had a broken egg, though they went through a couple weeks of hiding them.
That's too funny about the cochin x. Broodies can be so silly.

 

[pinkchick]

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Hi Cynthia and WELCOME!!!!!!!!!

I don't have bantam Wellies so I am afraid that I can't lend you any advice. Hoping someone comes along soon to help you out.

Have any of the LF hatched yet? It is a must to post baby photos ya know!

 

[pinkchick]

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Welcome Holly!!!

I have not experienced any egg eaters in my Wellies. Yes her eggs will get bigger, give her about a month or so. The egg may or may not darken up. I have had birds that lay dark from the get go and I have had birds that lay a lighter egg at the beginning and then it darkened up, I've also had birds that lay eggs that didn't get any darker than their first. Sometimes my new layers eggs are cracked on the pointy end and I assume it is because they scratch and scratch in the nest box getting it so perfect for them the lay in that they scratch all of the shavings out of the way down to the bottom of the nest box and when they finally lay it hits the wood and cracks, but this is normally only the first 3 or 4 eggs, but it does sound like the 2 of them in the box could be what the issue is in your gals case.
Oh and yes Wellies can be VERY VOCAL, my Wellies are the loudest birds I have and I love it. I always know when someone in the Wellie coop is going to lay, all the girls chime in and so does the rooster.

 

[writermom]

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Welcome Holly!!!

I have not experienced any egg eaters in my Wellies. Yes her eggs will get bigger, give her about a month or so. The egg may or may not darken up. I have had birds that lay dark from the get go and I have had birds that lay a lighter egg at the beginning and then it darkened up, I've also had birds that lay eggs that didn't get any darker than their first. Sometimes my new layers eggs are cracked on the pointy end and I assume it is because they scratch and scratch in the nest box getting it so perfect for them the lay in that they scratch all of the shavings out of the way down to the bottom of the nest box and when they finally lay it hits the wood and cracks, but this is normally only the first 3 or 4 eggs, but it does sound like the 2 of them in the box could be what the issue is in your gals case.
Oh and yes Wellies can be VERY VOCAL, my Wellies are the loudest birds I have and I love it. I always know when someone in the Wellie coop is going to lay, all the girls chime in and so does the rooster.

Thanks for the feedback HappyMTN and pinkchick. I've noticed the Welsummer pullet being incredibly vocal for the past couple months. She just started laying this week, so it's not just an egg laying noise. She's just plain noisy. Several times a day she just starts clucking up a storm, and continues the banter for several minutes. It's become more frequent and more loud the older she gets.

That description of the chicken scratching all of the shavings out of the box and laying the egg directly on the wood definitely applies to this hen. The hen house is in total disarray after she leaves the nest. And it's not limited to one nest box. She gets in one, scratches all of the alfalfa hay out of the way, and then gets in the other box and does the same thing. Then she'll finally choose one to lay her egg in and the fight with the cochin mix ensues. The holes/cracks are limited to the pointy end, so I bet it is just a product of hitting the wood or being jostled around during the battle for incubation rights (not that the Welsummer is interested in incubating, but the cochin mix barely allows the egg to exit the hen's hind end and she's all over it).

Funny chicken. Gotta love 'em.

- Holly

 

[EweSheep]

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They are just as hardy as their larger cousins!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Holly - Welcome!

My welsummers are also very vocal. (rooster included) There's one up there right now cackling because she wants a nesting box and someone is in it. They also seem to like the egg song chorus. (rooster included)

My girls have been laying since the end of April and their eggs are now larger than some of my 1 1/2 year old hens. The color did darken up on mine, but they do have "off" days where I get a light egg.

 

[Cynthia12]

Whew, what a night. I have 4 baby Welsummer bantams. They seem to tiny. The other two are supposed to be Welsummer X BCM.
Well, one looks to be..the other is as blue as blue can be! From a beautiful large dark egg! I have already e-mailed the guy I bought the eggs from asking, what is this one? I wish I wish I could get pictures up on here. I would put the baby next to the egg shell "she" came out of. I hope it's a girl..!! I can send pictures through e-mails, but I have tried everything on here, even downsizing, but still says it's too large.

Now, can someone remind me how to sex the Welsummer bantys? I can see that they are pure, and he said that they would be. I know it can be done at the time of their hatch? I have several pure Welsummer eggs due to hatch this month. I want some pure for sure. Got these eggs from Arizona. So far on the 7th day, I have 6 very lively little embryos in them. Two of those are a black and a blue Orpington she threw in for me, she had given me 6 of some Orpingtons I had asked for. So far, a black and a blue are doing well.
I love that blue color my Welsummer is.

 

[EweSheep]

Well Nate, count another number for live ship!

All the chicks are doing well! Alive, eating and pooping and NO losses!

He included some fruits in it and they emptied it by the time they got here!

FAST SHIP too! I think it was under 24 hours from where he is at to a flight in to Peoria, IL, then USPS trucked it all the way from Peoria to here.

CUTE buggers and now waiting for the night.....to slip the girls some presents of their own that they worked hard for!

 

[SFIcelandics]

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Depending on which line you have. My Bantams(Amestein - dutch bloodline) hatch a day or 2 earlier than my LF(grisham/hall).

Nate

 

[SFIcelandics]

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YAY!!!!!

I have had very good luck this year. It depends on who I go to at the PO. If I get there at 9am, and get the girl that does not know about the $1.00 live bird surcharge(which makes them guaranteed 2nd day instead of overnight), they make it there the next day. And they are always to the destination the next morning.

Plus I always ship them with a 2oz cup of water and 2oz of food/fruit(depending on the birds, age, and size).

Be sure to post lots of pics of them as they grow, I wish I had time to post more pics, but I have so many birds right now, that I dont have much time with cleaning barns, hatching, setting eggs, etc.

Nate