The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[flowerchild59]

Hate to be dense, but what is shafting?

 

[search4one]

Quote:
X2

 

[megshenhut]

A typical vaned feather features a main shaft, called the rachis. In my Welsummers, the main shaft of the feathers is a slightly lighter gold color than the feather itself. The judge at the county fair said that this was a fault called shafting. She said that the shaft of the feather should be the same color as the feather so it doesn't show up at much. Who am I to say? She was the judge. I would just like to know if others with Welsummers are seeing this same thing on their feathers or not. I have Welsummers from 3 different breeders and they all have a lighter shaft than the feather color itself. This is only on the hens' feathers and these are the feathers on the backs.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
I say that judge doesn't know what he's talking about.

This is from the welsummer SOP:

APA Standard of the Welsummer
1998 Edition

Disqualifications

White in earlobes. (See General DQ's and Cutting for Defects in your APA SOP handbook).

and in proper coloring

Back: Reddish brown, each feather stippled with black and having distinctive lighter shaft.​

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
He's still young yet, but I think he looks really good. Nice thick chest, nice comb. As he gets older his chest may darken some. You don't want too much red in their chest. (no more than 20% red)

Of course, you never get the perfect rooster, there's always something that needs work in every rooster.

 

[tazcat70]

Quote:
I say that judge doesn't know what he's talking about.

This is from the welsummer SOP:

APA Standard of the Welsummer
1998 Edition

Disqualifications

White in earlobes. (See General DQ's and Cutting for Defects in your APA SOP handbook).

Back: Reddish brown, each feather stippled with black and having distinctive lighter shaft.
​

Can you pull out a standard and call the judge on it?

 

[mrheinz77]

Quote:
He's still young yet, but I think he looks really good. Nice thick chest, nice comb. As he gets older his chest may darken some. You don't want too much red in their chest. (no more than 20% red)

Of course, you never get the perfect rooster, there's always something that needs work in every rooster.

Thanks

 

[EweSheep]

Walt can give his input on this.......on the question of feather shafting. Can anyone call upon him? I'll go and find him!

 

[tazcat70]

Ok, I know that slow feathering usually results in a bird that is nicely feathered. But this little naked pullet, that is feathering in as a naked roo, is driving me crazy!

His brother is already strutting his stuff and has this horrendous comb, and he is scrawny with a bare bum (and a much nicer comb.) In fact the brother has gotten into a scuffle with the main roo in the coop (who is 5 mos old.)

They are currently 10 weeks old.

 

[babyrnlc]

I have a question. We were sold a chick that was supposed to be a welsummer. I know they look very similar to the brown leghorn (we had one), this one looks a lot like our leghorn did and acts similar (very shy etc). When do their earlobes start changing colors, she is about 8 weeks old. Her comb has not started changing yet.

If she is a welsummer we are keeping her, if she is a leghorn, we are donating her to a friend at church that is starting with chickens (along with a couple of other chicks)