The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[EweSheep]

Thai, it is not uncommon for Welsummers to get lighter toward the end of their production cycle for the year. All of mine would get lighter as time progresses in late summer to early fall before they stop laying for the winter.

Since you had your chickens not long, give them some time to get settled in. Some would take a week or longer while some would just stop laying due to molting or stressful conditions. A year old isn't very old and they should be laying for you in a little while.

 

[Hens and Roos]

I had two welsummers hatch last night! IM hoping some more will be there when I get home

Best of luck with your hatch!

 

[bwalden]

Maybe that egg was at the end of her cycle. It was laid in Feb & I just hatched it!
What I did think was unusual was I got 2 marans eggs in one day & then another the next day. I only have 2 laying marans & usually they each lay every other day. Maybe one of those was a wellie? Is there a way to tell the difference? My blue marans lays huge beautifully speckled eggs while my black marans lays more solid color with scratches in the "paint" (presumably from her digging or maybe when she leaves the nest).

Well my marans eggs are darker than my welsummer eggs. welsummer eggs more commonly have the matte finish to the egg but not always. If you have a marans laying a lighter egg they can be easily confused. You would know for sure if you hatched them. I have mine in seperate coops so I have no issues with mixing the eggs up.

 

[bamachicks8]

hadtwo welsummers hatch lastnight now to see if they are roos or pullets

 

[hereorthere]

Well most Wesummers are very rarely as dark as the dark one you've posted. I have seen some very dark ones, even dark than those I have. They do go through a laying cycle in which they are dark in the beginning and lighten towards the end. But generally after the cycle end they will often molt and darken up once again. Not sure where your bird or your friend's bird would be in their laying cycle. But it is possible they could darken up a bit. Then again some wellies just never lay that dark egg we all love so much.


These are beginning laying cycle eggs.

Middle laying cycle eggs




These are lighter, towards the end of laying cycle.


Hope this helps.

How long is a laying cycle? So if one were to incubate, then it's not necessary to choose darker (early in the laying cycle) eggs?

 

[hereorthere]

Here is our 1 Welsummer chick, he was hatched out March 10th-

Yah for you Hens and Roos!! Anymore soon?

 

[faykokoWV]

How long is a laying cycle?  So if one were to incubate, then it's not necessary to choose darker (early in the laying cycle) eggs?

ideally you would identify which hens are laying the color of egg you want to breed (some like spots, some like solid) and use those hens for breeding your next generation of birds. But, you also would want to assess that hen for other features of the SOP. It would be nice to breed strictly for egg color, but you have to breed for overall quality as well. Ideally, you'll end up with birds that have both a dark egg and meet the SOP. (standard of perfection)

 

[texasbirdman]

Someone brought up the subject of hatchery Welsummers. I thought I would post some pics of my hatchery Wellies. I can't for the life of me remember where I got them, but overall I've been pleased. Of course I wasn't looking for show birds, just a good utilty flock. The chicks are some that I've recently hatched from them.

 

[Hens and Roos]

Yah for you Hens and Roos!! Anymore soon?

no this one is it so far

, we candled on Monday and removed all 20 Welsummer eggs- they were clear. Not sure if the rooster isn't in the mood yet or if the hens don't care of him or what.

 

[bwalden]

How long is a laying cycle? So if one were to incubate, then it's not necessary to choose darker (early in the laying cycle) eggs?

Their laying cycle would be over a period of several months. The first pics I posted (darker ones) are in the fall, the second set around January, the lightest ones from early spring. They usually molt and starts all over again. Mine pretty much or almost stop laying when they molt, lose a ton of feathers and look pretty scraggly to be honest. I was looking for a pic of a hen that molted recently. Sorry I must have deleted it.

You would want to select the darkest eggs to incubate, but you would need to know what that hen is capable of producing at their darkest point as well as what they look like at their lightest point. Something that I always think about with my Marans that Bev Davis says. If she doesn't at least produce a #4 on the Marans eggs color scale even at the lightest point, then it's really not one you would want to incubate for future dark egg producers. I myself remove those hens I know consistently produce lighter colored eggs. I keep them in a separate coop. They are what I call my "eating egg" flock. It really all depends on what you are breeding towards. Are you just wanting darker eggs? Do you want to sell hatching eggs? Do you intend to show the birds or sell them as eggs or birds to people who might want to show them? If you are just looking for darker eggs then I would suggest to see what your hens darkest eggs will be like then decide if you want darker or if her eggs are are ok.
I apply the same method with my Welsummers. I mostly breed for egg color while trying to adhere as closely to the SOP as I can. But I do really pay close attention to those who consistently produce a darker egg year round. My roosters all came from very dark eggs so I feel ok with them. Then I take those darker eggs produced to incubate and work on my next generation of layers. It takes a lot of time and patience to get it all right. Now am I going to say that every egg of mine hatched will be a dark egg producer? No, I won't claim that, but odds are pretty good that they will be because of my selective breeding. You have to cull and document and keep track of who is doing what. It's a lot of work especially if you have a large flock. If you have just a couple birds it can be difficult to get that "dark egg" result you are looking for because you can't really cull and selective breed.
Fact is some hens just don't produce that dark color like we hope they will. In that case it might be best to look elsewhere. I've had hatchery welsummers before. Some of them were just fine, produced a nice dark egg. But overall most of them are no where near what my flock is today. I bit the bullet and bought from a private breeder and ended up with some really nice birds. Like I said though, it all depends on what you want to do with them in the end.