The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[Twinklin]

When do Wellies start to lay? Around 20 weeks? I do know that EEs lay ALOT later then other breeds. Not sure bout Wellies tho.

My Wellie is 17 weeks today. Small comb but it is quite red.

My EE just started laying at 26 weeks, my Welly is the same age and has yet to lay or show any signs or interest in laying. The Welly squatted for me a couple times but i think I just caught her off guard and it was more of a startled submit than a ready to be mounted squat. I had thought she would be my first layer because her comb started getting red before any of the other birds but then it stopped growing. I haven't seen her show interest in the nest boxes yet either. My BSL started at 21 weeks and my RIR started at 22.

This pic was taken 9/5 she was 21 weeks, you can see her comb started getting very red so I got excited she'd lay soon but then she stalled out.



This was taken today at 26 weeks. You can see her comb hasn't really changed a whole lot. My other single comb girls had their combs quadruple in size the month they started laying. I'm keeping an eye out for a comb growth spurt and a legitimate squat.

 

[OohLaLa]

I am very sorry you had to put her down.  The skin damage will heal - the leg probably would not - you made a hard decision there.

I have had birds that have pecked at somebody a bit harder - or possibly one that attempted to climb the pecking order and got beat down - they were attacked by the rest of the flock when they showed blood.  It is an instinct for chickens to attack and eat anything red - red means blood which is food to them.  Anybody who says chickens are vegetarians has never observed a chicken closely. 

About 9 years ago I had one girl that had gotten picked on her lower back - under her feathers.  I heard a ruckus outside and broke it up but didn't notice much at that time.  I noticed later she wasn't coming out of the coop so I took her down off the roost and checked her over.  When I got to her back I was appalled.  The other birds had EATEN her there down to the bones in that one spot.  I took her out - covered her with antibiotic creme (without pain reliever) and kept her apart for about two weeks.  When it had healed over and was a scar instead of scabs that could be pecked off I put her back in again.  The feathers never grew back in so she always had that bald lower back under the upper feather cover, but she lived to be 8 years old.

Anytime a bird has a bloody spot it is best to coat it with blu-kote to prevent the other birds from focusing on it, because they will attack and eat it.  I didn't know about blu-kote then, and I didn't know they would do something like that either - until after that poor girl.

Thank you for sharing your story. Mine also had a black shaped chunk out of her back. If it were just the skin I would have given her all the time to heal, my poor sweetie leg could not be ignored though. I appreciate all of the advice.

 

[TammyTX]

OohLala -

I'm sorry. It is a very tough thing to do.

 

[faykokoWV]

My EE just started laying at 26 weeks, my Welly is the same age and has yet to lay or show any signs or interest in laying. The Welly squatted for me a couple times but i think I just caught her off guard and it was more of a startled submit than a ready to be mounted squat. I had thought she would be my first layer because her comb started getting red before any of the other birds but then it stopped growing. I haven't seen her show interest in the nest boxes yet either. My BSL started at 21 weeks and my RIR started at 22.

This pic was taken 9/5 she was 21 weeks, you can see her comb started getting very red so I got excited she'd lay soon but then she stalled out.



This was taken today at 26 weeks. You can see her comb hasn't really changed a whole lot. My other single comb girls had their combs quadruple in size the month they started laying. I'm keeping an eye out for a comb growth spurt and a legitimate squat.

That's about as big as her comb should be, so I wouldn't expect it to grow much more. My experience has been that hens coming to point of lay this time of year often wait until Feb. to start laying due to the shorter days right now. Adding extra light either before dawn (safer method) or after dusk may help her to start laying this time of year though. Its typical that an EE would start laying younger than a Welsummer would (at least that's my experience)

 

[FlashPointFarm]

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[Peep-Chicken]

My EE just started laying at 26 weeks, my Welly is the same age and has yet to lay or show any signs or interest in laying. The Welly squatted for me a couple times but i think I just caught her off guard and it was more of a startled submit than a ready to be mounted squat. I had thought she would be my first layer because her comb started getting red before any of the other birds but then it stopped growing. I haven't seen her show interest in the nest boxes yet either. My BSL started at 21 weeks and my RIR started at 22. This pic was taken 9/5 she was 21 weeks, you can see her comb started getting very red so I got excited she'd lay soon but then she stalled out. This was taken today at 26 weeks. You can see her comb hasn't really changed a whole lot. My other single comb girls had their combs quadruple in size the month they started laying. I'm keeping an eye out for a comb growth spurt and a legitimate squat.

Pepper my Wellie looks exactly like your but with a smaller comb. I wish it wasn't so cold so may they will start to lay at 20 weeks.

 

[risk]

I'm on the GA, TN, NC line if you get to Blue Ridge You are more than welcome to him. I have roosters coming out my ears.

that's cool. my grandparents lives in N.C.

 

[Johnn]

 

[SilkiesForEver]

Just wondering the quality of my hens,




They are young, still filling out and don't lay yet.

 

[OScarlet]

I've been wanting a welsummer but there were none available when I got my chicks. I bought a new girl this weekend and she needed a friend and a local guy had some young welsummers that he thinks might be almost ready to lay. She seems like a lovey and even though she is a hatchery bird she has lovely colours. This isn't such a great picture of her but it was the first day I had her and she was still a little freaked out by the car ride and relocation. One thing though, she has these "hairs" on her back, they look just like hairs. What are they?

Rose -- quickly becoming Rosie. Named after Dr Who's assistant.