The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[Beer can]

The polish isnt a bantam, but its the size of one. Little smaller than the brown leghorns. I just heard their not cold hardy. We get bellow zero weather here sometimes and my father always had a few bantams with his RIReds, they never got cold, sick, or anything. I never even heard of worming chickens until reading threads on this site, Im still a little iffy on that, my father never wormed his, never any problems. But that was 25-30 yrs ago. Actually he always had around 30 usualy, plus little ones and none of them ever died, only by axe, until a weasel visited them and he lost almost all of them in two nights.

 

[sssharon]

Beer can
I read on one of these threads that they don't recommend worming if there's no reason to. one of the girls I talk to on BYC puts cayenne pepper in their food every so often. I have given mine DE before. My birds al seem pretty healthy. I do put vitamins in their water. I use Nutri-drench. It must work for them. My Buff Orpington gives me a huge egg about once a week to 10 days.

 

[Beer can]

It seems like all the threads I've read on this site they say you have to worm them, I really didn't want to cause like said I never heard of it before, and Ive had chickens before and they were always healthy.Cayenne pepper, I read somewhere, not on this site is, the trick to get them to lay more, never tried it though.

 

[estamets]

Beer can
I read on one of these threads that they don't recommend worming if there's no reason to. one of the girls I talk to on BYC puts cayenne pepper in their food every so often. I have given mine DE before. My birds al seem pretty healthy. I do put vitamins in their water. I use Nutri-drench. It must work for them. My Buff Orpington gives me a huge egg about once a week to 10 days.

It seems like all the threads I've read on this site they say you have to worm them, I really didn't want to cause like said I never heard of it before, and Ive had chickens before and they were always healthy.Cayenne pepper, I read somewhere, not on this site is, the trick to get them to lay more, never tried it though.

Worming can be tough on their systems, so it's best to only do a full deworming (with Safeguard, for instance) when they need it. Rooster Booster makes a "triple dewormer" that is pretty gentle and that mixes into their food; many people recommend using it for three consecutive days each month as a preventative. The Rooster Booster product has no withdrawal period.

As with any medication, I think you should only use it if you have a problem. So if you've never had worms in your flock, don't worry about it!

 

[sssharon]

I agree with not giving them anything if they don't need it. I heard that about the cayenne pepper. I tried it and it did nothing. I think I have the most stubborn and slow chickens ever! Some of mine have been 8 months before they started laying.

 

[HappyChickenLover]

I suppose I am lucky. My Welsummer bantams are real healthy. They take the cold real well. Oldest birds I've had are 5 year old girls, they are in extremely good shape.

BTW garlic in the water bowls works great for worms! and its natural

 

[Beer can]

BTW garlic in the water bowls works great for worms! and its natural

I heard fresh garlic kills worms in humans to! Huh? Humans have worms? I started eating it anyways, chopped fresh and let it set for best results, its a SUPER food, good for you for all sorts of stuff.
My wife made me cut back, said I stunk.

 

[Cluckadoodledo]

One of my Wellsummer laying hens (seven months old) died yesterday morning in the coop. I was gathering eggs from the nesting boxes and she was snuggled in her favorite corner on the coop floor, where she insists on laying her eggs. I went to move her and saw she had expired. Her eyes were closed and her body was still warm, almost normal temperature. I checked her out and couldn't see anything amiss. It looked like she died in her sleep. It wasn't even that cold out that night. She had been free ranging the previous day with the eleven others, six Wellsummers and five Americana's. Everyone was fine that evening. I'm keeping the chickens locked up for now for observation. They all seem well and healthy. They're laying eggs, drinking water, eating normally and anxious to go free ranging. Their coop is large, cozy and well built. Their roofed run is 150 sq. ft. and predator proof. Till now, I've had no chicken deaths or illness. It was in the low 20's the previous nights, but that didn't seem to bother the chickens. They have a heated chicken waterer in the coop so I can rule out hydration. No egg stuck in the vent, so I'm thinking heart attack or stroke. The chickens get a lot of exercise and chase me all over the yard at a full run, thinking I have treats. It's a game we play. They can run pretty fast and fly well enough to escape danger. Egg production has been good. I'm so sad to loose a laying hen.

 

[tiffrosef]

Could this be a wellie egg? I'm not sure who laid it!

 

[HappyChickenLover]

Could very well be, when Welsummers start laying they can be lighter in color and of smaller size at first