The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[Arielle]

I'm looking to add very dark eggs to my egg basket, as the phrase goes; I hear conflicting into on the Welsummers. Speckled eggs to chocolate; easy going to flighty. Would someone PLEASE set met straight on the color of their eggs and their temperment. ARe they flight, calm, docile, aggressive, or pick your own adjective. Many Thanks.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
My experience: Friendly, but not lap chickens. Will eat out of your hand, but prefer to NOT be picked up. Mine are not at all aggressive.

Egg color varies a bit in intensity, but here are my eggs (center):

 

[Happy Chooks]

Ask Opa for his egg picture.

 

[Opa]

All but four of the eggs in this picture are Welsummer eggs. This shows the variety of colors you can expect from your birds. Some are a uniform dark terra cotta while others look as if the hen needs to run a clean ink jets cycle.

 

[Opa]

With regard to the temperment of Welsummers I have found them to be a very calm. Since I don't few them as pets their not being friendly isn't an issue. My bigger concern is how easy are they to work with. I have found them to be steady layers of large to extra large eggs. I know that I have never had a Welsummer rooster to be overly aggressive and every rooster I owned has be very easy on the hens. The most damage I've seen on my hens is that the feathers at the back of their heads sometimes looks a little frayed.

 

[NCSprout]

Thanks for the critiques, that is exactly why I asked for opinions. I knew off the bat my rooster had faults, so I wanted to see what everyone else thought.
Thank you so much.

 

[vanalpaca]

NCsprout, it appears that faults exist in all the seedstock for Wellies. Makes it a fun project knowing you are working to improve a breed like this! Here is where we can learn at what ages the Wellies are supposed to start changing up.

So broader chests in roos around 9 months of age?? Sounds like another item to add to my growing list of things to look for.

Someone post a PERFECT COMB photo, please? One we can use as a 'standard' to attain? I don't have the $$ for a colored APA book and I'd like to see what the comb should be on a roo. Don't know WHERE to start counting for a 5 point comb, either!!

Cheers all,
Bonnie

 

[faykokoWV]

Quote:
I'm like you, I want to know all the faults on my chickens so I know what to watch for. If everyone is afraid of hurting my feelings and won't point out the negatives I won't learn, and I want to learn!! I ask questions and post pictures to get an honest answer. I'm prepared and want negative comments or I wouldn't ask.


Edited to add:

I will say its easier with this group than with some of the others. The Welsummer group here provides the feedback in a helpful manner and not as a personal attack. The group truly wants to improve the breed for all of us rather than seeing it as a competition as to who has the best birds.

 

[Opa]

Quote:
Well said

 

[pinkchick]

NC~

I've got my fingers crossed and chanting happy hatching shout outs to those babies.