The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[enggass]

What is more of a teller... The 'V' or the eyeshadow strip behind the eye. Seems as though the #3, #5 & #6 male theory is more due to eye markings?
Steve

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Okay here is hopefully a better picture of #3.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/45425_welsummer_chick_3-_2-14-2011.jpg

My guess is still male. Thank you for the extra picture.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Steve~
I would say the eyeliner, but in some lines of Welsummers this isn't the case, but I don't believe this to be the case with Hens' chicks. I think she has a male that just has a very nice tidy V.

Hens~ On your females..look to see if they have a very fine darker almost blackish line defining the V on either side and then look for those same darker almost black lines along the dorsal strips on the back.......I have noticed that the males do not get this. Is that the case with your chicks?

 

[Hens and Roos]

Quote:
Steve~
I would say the eyeliner, but in some lines of Welsummers this isn't the case, but I don't believe this to be the case with Hens' chicks. I think she has a male that just has a very nice tidy V.

Hens~ On your females..look to see if they have a very fine darker almost blackish line defining the V on either side and then look for those same darker almost black lines along the dorsal strips on the back.......I have noticed that the males do not get this. Is that the case with your chicks?



Pink- we checked that out and yes it seems to be hold true, so it looks like #1, 2 & 4 are girls and #3, 5 & 6 are boys. We will better mark them and watch to see how they progress. We will probably hold on to them until the kids show at fair to make sure they have what they need.

 

[cherylcohen]

Quote:
Kim those aren't mine

Sorry Cheryl!

Hens is also a Cheryl! I should have been more specific.

Woohoo, two Cheryl's in the world??? Who would have thought......duh I'm so silly

 

[lwarctic]

Well, tonight I candled my Wellie eggs I received from Kim. Kim, I tried sending you a PM but you are full.

Out of the 11 Wellie eggs only one was clear, also Kim so you know the only other clear one was the Splash X Bill. Darn it, I was hoping that one was going to make it. All the others are going strong. Thanks again Kim, I can't wait, only 12 days left.

 

[cherylcohen]

Quote:

 

[ultasol]

I have some chicks that are about 4-5 weeks or so old, and I'll be darned if I can tell if they are boys or girls. With the SLW the combs on the boys become a brilliant red far before the girls combs look like anything, and with the silkies, well, I don't even try unless it's an obvious boy (which some are- the combs just pop right up like bow-dried puff paint and others start crowing young,.. and then some boys are late bloomers).

That said, these little fellows have me flummoxed. Nobody has a red comb yet, nobody looks like they are developing wattles, yet there are about 20 of them and I am certain not all are girls. Perhaps if I pull them out of the brooder the boys will have thicker legs, but there isn't an obvious difference when looking in the brooder.

 

[impis]

My welsummer hen laid her first egg yesterday.
She is 10 months old and I was beginning to wonder if she'd ever come into lay! LOL!

The lovely dark brown egg was very tasty, too! And not a bad size, for a first egg. My other, non laying, egg eating, ex-batt had tried to eat the egg, but the shell was too hard for her to break.

I wonder when she'll lay the next one.....

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Hi Ultasol! Good to see you pop in again.

At the age of 4-5 weeks old now you will notice that the males and females look very similar. Early sexing really needs to be done at hatch (when they are dried off) or up to about 2 weeks of age, after 2 weeks the tell tale signs of the feather sexing traits ("V"s and "eye-liner" tend to give way to feathering and we lose the individual distinctions for a few weeks, which makes for telling them apart pretty hard.
All is not lost though.....the males chest/breast will start turning black pretty darn soon and the female chest/breast will be salmon colored, this should help you alot.
Do you have any photos of them to share? Maybe we can help "I spy" some cockerels for you.

I am vexed as to why the combs wouldn't be noticeable at this age.