The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[faykokoWV]

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Glad you like them and I hope you have a great hatch.... plenty more where those came from if you decide you want more.

 

[ChikieLyn]

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Yep, I know - it was me, and I'm sorry to hear that about the show, it's pretty disappointing. I'm surprised there aren't more Welsummers around here - maybe there are, but they aren't shown? Hmmmm, maybe I'll just have to start learning and get a nice flock started out here!?! I'm pretty nuts about them and it sounds to me like there's enough people on this thread that can point me in the right direction of where and how to start. I don't do the incubator thing yet, altho' I can see that in my future if SewAndGrow and a couple of other friends have their way! Heck, it's SewAndGrow's "fault" I even ended up with the Wellies! I played hooky from work and took a drive with her to the Bay Area so she could pick up a new rooster, and the person she got him from had a 6-week old trio she said she'd sell, and that was it for me! I have about 35 other young birds I've raised from day-old chicks (BCMs, Light Sussex, EEs and some very funny Silkie crosses) but it's the Welsummers that really spin my beanie. I'm hooked, and thank you all for welcoming me!

 

[ChikieLyn]

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http://wcna.webs.com/cockeralsroosters.htm

This link to the WCNA is the section that shows positive and negative pictures of the birds. There is a section like this for pullets as well.

Dont forget the faults on the bottom of the SOP page..... Thanks to all of our members submitting photos!

http://wcna.webs.com/apastandard.htm


Good job folks! I'm proud of our BYC Welsummer members!

It's great you're putting the "faults" on there as well - I remember seeing some of the same photos on this thread - that's what people like myself need to see. Thank you all! (and Opa - I totally get the glasses thing - I've done the same thing, but usually they're at the top of my head....!)

 

[faykokoWV]

Chickielyn - the hard part is getting people to send Robin their "bad examples" One of the sets of bad ones were chickens of mine I had gotten from Ideal hatchery. I had no problem sharing the picture since I don't have them any more. I think there is always the fear that sharing examples of poor stock may damage your reputation as a breeder. I'd like to think that the opposite is true - if I can recognize and eliminate poor stock, it makes me a better breeder.

 

[catfish/okie]

Hello I havent posted in quite a while. I think my wellsummer hen has took a notion to set. She has been on the nest for 2 days now.She got cranky with me a little bit this evening. dont have a full grown rooster, I went out to a friend and got some fertile eggs and did the ole switcharoo a while ago. Most imformation says a wellsummer is a non sittig breed. I wonder if she will stick with it? Its real dry here and almost 100 degrees in the afternoons here in Oklahoma. The friend that I got the eggs from had a buttercup that set and raised 5 chicks. Thanks to anyone who will respond to this!

 

[faykokoWV]

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go back a few pages on this thread and we were just discussing this. Most haven't had much luck with broody Welsummers -but you never know

 

[ChikieLyn]

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What you're saying makes good sense. I personally feel it makes a breeder stronger, but I totally get it. This is going to be a wild ride, isn't it????

 

[catfish/okie]

Thank you. I shall go back and do some research. I dont really need any more chickens but if Wellie want to be a mother Ill try my best to help her out. I can always find some one who wants some chickens. I let my Buff orpington hatch some chicks earlier this spring. Last night she had em on the roost instead of their nest. Maybe letting the other hen hatch some chicks triggered wellie into wanting to set. If she dos not stick with it then nothing is lost except 10 eggs that could have been eaten. If she sticks with it I will post back in 3 weeks. My Hens to me are kinda what puppy dogs are to other people.

 

[catfish/okie]

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I just set 10 eggs under my wellie hen who is appearantly in sitting mode. I will get back with you over the next few months to share my experiances if you are interested.

 

[cpartist]

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Yes, my Josie went broody last spring and would not give it up. I gave her some eggs, as I recall all of them hatched.
She was an excellent mama. I finally took the chicks away from her when they were about 8 weeks old. Because she was
not laying for almost four months during her broody/chick raising period she was the only Wellie laying in the late
summer/fall when all the other girls were molting. She is almost 2 years old and has yet to molt that I can tell.
Other than the broody break she has been crankin' out the eggs.

I am raising a couple of her daughters and will be curious to see if they inherit her broody tendencies.

I am not a big fan of too many broodies...Lordy I have way too many with my Ameraucanas and Orps.
There is just not enough space here to let them all sit...

After reading about the non-broody tendencies of Wellies and the fact that she has been very productive
apart from her mama time, and lays a large dark egg....I thought it would be interesting to see if her offspring does the same.