The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[EweSheep]

Faye's stock are Nate Vanwey's stock (Grisham/Hall lines) like my year old girl. His lines are beautiful but there are very few faults in them so far. Better than most breeder's birds I've had besides my Calicowoods hen. And they are consisent in type and color as well.

I like his stock so far and would like to stick with it as much as I can unless someone can give it to me better than Nate's lines. Calicowoods (can only compare with one) needs a bit of work but with Opa's heavy hand in culling, he would have some really nice birds that can produce consisently as well!

If you are interested in some eggs, go for it! Anyone in here are good, depending on what you are looking for!

 

[faykokoWV]

as Ewesheep said, my stock is 100% from Nate Vanwey's birds. Last year I was lucky enough to swap him Buckeye eggs for some of his welsummer eggs. Best swap I ever made!!! I still remember opening the package of eggs from him and being wowed by the egg color. I consider myself blessed to have the results of his labor. I'm so saddened that he lost so many of his birds over the winter.

I'm trying to maintain the quality as I breed them. I've culled one of my adult roosters from the breeding program due to having white down at the base of the tail. I have a hard time with the hens..... they all look exactly the same to me! I have to get really close and look at combs, size etc.

I kept a few hens from this years hatch and if I didn't ID them, I wouldn't be able to tell them from the parent birds. Egg color is pretty consitent too. I have one that lays a little lighter and with freckles. I'm trying to decide if I want to keep that trait or not. I think I'm going to stick with the darker layers.

 

[EweSheep]

Good choice and good goal, Faye!

 

[vanalpaca]

Cassidy then is my avatar photo

Cassidy NOW is below. I think she is the best coloring of all stock so far. Agree or disagree?

Here is a hatchmate but different line:

Cassidy's coloring is slightly darker and this other hen is slightly lighter on the chest and slightly lighter overall.

More photos to come of chicks and eggs and teens!

Bonnie

 

[vanalpaca]

Harry's and Opa's eggs in MY BATOR!!

Been in there about a week!

 

[vanalpaca]

Possibly girl chicks from Opa and from Helen Maynard of KY All are banded pink.

One group is Opa's and one group is Helen's.

Possibly Roos from both sources above: Yellow bands are boys/Pink bands are girls might have grabbed wrong photo? Now I'm confused cause some of these look like girls!!

 

[tazcat70]

I wondered too, because the 2nd pic looks like it has some boys in it.

 

[pinkchick]

Congrats on all the chickie chicks going on around here everybody. They are gorgeous! Eggs are too!

Vanalpaca~ I only see 3 cockerels and they are in the photo of chicks from Helen Maynard....there are no boys in the chicks from Opa.
I borrowed your photo and marked the ones I believe are cockerels for you. Hope you don't mind.

 

[vanalpaca]

Actually, the first girl photo are helen's and the one with the boys are opa's......

But that photo I posted of supposedly roos is really looking like a bunch of girls in their. Not much on eyeliner.

Tried to do the hard defined v's and dark eyeliner versus the more of a dot on top and no eyeliner to sort them out.

I'm looking at legs, nice yellow ones on all the chicks.

Are eyes supposed to be GREEN on Wellies? The teens in the greenhouse had green eyes?

Getting them all separated out and in bigger quarters is allowing me to really look at them some more.

On the teen photos, what do you think of that lot? I'm curious about those really dark heads feathering in.

Appreciate all the comments folks. This is a huge learning experience for me.

Cheers and happy 4th!
Bonnie

 

[harryof47]

Quote:
Bonnie,

The way I candle eggs is to take a lamp and take the shade off. Get a box and cut a small hole (maybe 3/4in. square) in the bottom. Then at night turn all the lights out, except the lamp. Put the lamp under the hole and put an egg over the hole. Just be careful not to get anything burnable to close to the light bulb. You can quickly figure it out. On those darkest eggs I sometimes wait to almost 2 weeks to candle the eggs, just to be sure. It is very easy to make a mistake, and you feel terrible when you crack an egg and it was fertile Then as you become familar with the eggs you can check sooner.

Blessings

Harold