The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[frmboyinthecity]

So, I've been researching my little heart out, trying to decide what breeds to specialize in, and I think what I really want is a rainbow egg basket AND a focus on Wellies. Fair enough. Questions:

1. Do Wellies get along well with Ameraucanas, in your experience (if you have both)?

2. I would keep only a Wellie rooster, since I don't want to breed purebred Amer's. Is the blue gene dominant if I raised Wellie/Amer crosses as mutts?

3. Does anyone here who is breeding/selling Wellie eggs from a great line breed IN broodiness? I would prefer broody hens, overall. CAN one make that a breeding focus, or is it entirely hit and miss?

4. Since LF Wellies do not generally go broody, or so I understand, would getting a few bantam Wellies in the hopes that they'd go broody make sense?

5. If so, what would happen to the bantams if the LF Wellie cock that I would raise bred them... Just larger Wellies?

This is a great thread! I look forward to your replies!

Again, I am sure there are people with more experience, but I'll share what I have learned.

1) It depends, but for the most part, they will establish themselves in a similar pecking order as other chickens and should be fine. Just watch them. Some chickens are just mean.

2) Blue is dominant, but what you would end up with is a green egg, could even get close to what people call and olive egger. The blue egg shell is dominant, but the brown coloring is actually an overlay, kind of like a paint that gives the shell its color. So you'd get a blue egg shell with a brown overlay, giving you a shade of green.

3) Not sure on this one. My understanding is that broodiness is a heritable trait, but it isn't 100%. And most chicken lines have had it breed out of them. Someone on the Welsummer club facebook page said they have a broody welsummer and the couple people who commented mentioned how they hadn't had a broody before.

4) Not sure if the bantams go broody more than the LF in Welsummers or not.

5) Generally if someone crosses a bantam with a LF, they use a LF hen and a bantam rooster. The risk if the LF roo is the sire is that the chick will be too large for the egg and will not be able to hatch. Think of a Chihuahua trying to give birth to a lab pup. Copulation may be possible, but it doesn't mean it would be a good idea.

 

[dekel18042]

So, I've been researching my little heart out, trying to decide what breeds to specialize in, and I think what I really want is a rainbow egg basket AND a focus on Wellies. Fair enough. Questions:

1. Do Wellies get along well with Ameraucanas, in your experience (if you have both)?



3. Does anyone here who is breeding/selling Wellie eggs from a great line breed IN broodiness? I would prefer broody hens, overall. CAN one make that a breeding focus, or is it entirely hit and miss?

4. Since LF Wellies do not generally go broody, or so I understand, would getting a few bantam Wellies in the hopes that they'd go broody make sense?

5. If so, what would happen to the bantams if the LF Wellie cock that I would raise bred them... Just larger Wellies?

I have welsumer, EE's, Ameraucana/EE crosses as well as other breeds and bantams with no problems.
I don't know about bantam willies and broodiness, but not sure if it is something you would want to breed in. Some of my hens go broody (not the wellies) and it can be both a pain and frustrating if they don't want to come out of it and you don't want them hatching anything at the moment. Plus they stop laying when broody.
If you want chicks you could always get a silkie or cochan or another breed known for broodiness and let her hatch the eggs. The only thing because of size difference you might only get 4 to 6 (if you're lucky,) eggs under her.
If a LF roo breeds a bantam hen, if he is gentle (We did cull one cock this year for being way too rough) it isn't much of a problem, but I wouldn't try to hatch any eggs from that breeding as the chicks could outgrow the egg.

 

[1ChickenKeeper]

What's cookin' here in the Welsummer thread lately?

 

[Happy Chooks]

So, I've been researching my little heart out, trying to decide what breeds to specialize in, and I think what I really want is a rainbow egg basket AND a focus on Wellies. Fair enough. Questions:

1. Do Wellies get along well with Ameraucanas, in your experience (if you have both)?

2. I would keep only a Wellie rooster, since I don't want to breed purebred Amer's. Is the blue gene dominant if I raised Wellie/Amer crosses as mutts?

3. Does anyone here who is breeding/selling Wellie eggs from a great line breed IN broodiness? I would prefer broody hens, overall. CAN one make that a breeding focus, or is it entirely hit and miss?

4. Since LF Wellies do not generally go broody, or so I understand, would getting a few bantam Wellies in the hopes that they'd go broody make sense?

5. If so, what would happen to the bantams if the LF Wellie cock that I would raise bred them... Just larger Wellies?

This is a great thread! I look forward to your replies!

1. They would get along fine. I had Ameraucana's in the past in with my wellies.

2. Yes, the blue egg gene would be dominant in the first generation. Blue crossed to brown gives green eggs in the female offspring. Mate that female back to the Welsummer male, and you will get some that lay a darker green (could be olive depending on how dark your male contributes) and others females would lay brown.

3. I don't know of any breeder that is trying to breed in broodiness. Welsummers are not a good breed if you want broodiness. I've had 2 over the years go broody. They will sit, but generally are not great mothers. Both of mine were good mothers, but terrible sitters. I had to incubate the eggs, then give the eggs to them right before they hatched. Besides, once a hen goes broody, she quits laying, and thus you have less eggs to hatch. If you want broodies, then select a breed (like silkies or cochins) that are well known for their broodiness, and they can hatch for you. I have Barnevelders as well, and they are a broody breed. With them and other breeds/mutts, I had 9 broodies this summer.........more than I wanted for sure.

4. It's not a good idea to cross bantam Welsummers with LF Welsummers. The size would be somewhere in the middle. Also bantams do not lay the darker eggs that the LF does.

5. See above.

 

[MistyMountain]

So, I've been researching my little heart out, trying to decide what breeds to specialize in, and I think what I really want is a rainbow egg basket AND a focus on Wellies. Fair enough. Questions:

1. Do Wellies get along well with Ameraucanas, in your experience (if you have both)?

2. I would keep only a Wellie rooster, since I don't want to breed purebred Amer's. Is the blue gene dominant if I raised Wellie/Amer crosses as mutts?

3. Does anyone here who is breeding/selling Wellie eggs from a great line breed IN broodiness? I would prefer broody hens, overall. CAN one make that a breeding focus, or is it entirely hit and miss?

4. Since LF Wellies do not generally go broody, or so I understand, would getting a few bantam Wellies in the hopes that they'd go broody make sense?

5. If so, what would happen to the bantams if the LF Wellie cock that I would raise bred them... Just larger Wellies?

This is a great thread! I look forward to your replies!

I can help with a couple of these… kind-of.

#3 and 4… I have two wellies, hatchery stock from ideal. This past summer, at a little over 1 year old, BOTH went broody. One sat a week before I gave her guinea eggs, which she then continued to sit on for the entire 28 day incubation time. She was a big scratcher, but the keets learned quick to stay clear. She raised 5/7 to weaning time and went back to laying promptly at 4 weeks. She continues to hang with the guineas, though not really "mothering" them. Second broody wellie hatched 9/12 mixed eggs from my flock. That was 11 weeks ago, and she is still mothering them. To me, these two are worth their weight in gold!! Only problem, both seemed TOO committed to sitting on the eggs. I had to chase them off the nest at least every other day or they would poop in the nest. BOTH hens are so docile. They don't pick on anyone, and no one picks on them. Very peaceful and friendly. Hatchery stock, I know, but I love them!

 

[JulesChicks]

You guys are so lucky with your sweet Wellies - that's why I chose this breed, but I ended up with a meanie and a sweetie who sticks with meanie. For this reason my DH hates Wellies and won't let me get any more. Although, he is the one who insists on brown eggs, maybe he'll change his mind once they lay. Then again, he'll say "get more Marans". I am not having good experience with Marans cockerels. Ugh.

 

[stryker]

He is awesome!!!!I have 2 welsummer roosters and 1 looks like him but younger. I cannot wait to use him this spring for the welsummer pullets.

 

[FreedomFarm13]

Hi, everybody!! I have one Welsummer pullet (named Ellie) who is 28 weeks old today, and I'm getting a little concerned because I have yet to get any of those glorious terra cotta eggs. She is the only surviving member of our flock, as our four Cuckoo Marans and her Wellie sister were all killed by predators. My mom and I are worried that she's not laying because she's lonely, although I'm not sure if that's even a thing with chickens....will they delay laying if they're all alone. I read somewhere on this thread that some people had to wait almost a year before their Wellies started laying, but that just seems so unlikely. I keep looking at her comb/wattle to see if there's any indication from that, but to be honest, I don't know how dark it has to be to be considered 'red'. I saw her taking a dirt bath the other day and thought for a second she was laying an egg, until she started flopping all around, lol. I don't know. Is there any other indicators I could be looking for? She free ranges pretty much full time, but I just decided to sequester her a few minutes ago in the hopes that she will lay some time in the next day or two if she's confined to the coop, because there's also a chance that she has been laying and I just can't find her eggs. Our yard is quite overgrown around the fence and she likes to go wandering around in the weeds back there. Anyway, I guess I'm just looking for suggestions to determine whether she'll start laying soon, and maybe a little encouragement, because I'm getting a little worried about her. Any advice/info/help would be greatly appreciated!! Oh, and if you would like to see a pic, just lemme know....I'll go get some of her now, in case you want to see them. Thanks!

 

[aart]

Probably not because she's 'lonely'.
Where did you get her?

If she fits into any of the below, I'd confine her for a few weeks.

Signs of onset of lay---I've found the pelvic points to be the most accurate.
Squatting:
If you touch their back they will hunker down on the ground, then shake their tail feathers when they get back up.
This shows they are sexually mature and egg laying is close at hand.

Combs and Wattles:
Plump, shiny red - usually means laying.
Shriveled, dryish looking and pale - usually means not laying.
Tho I have found that the combs and wattles can look full and red one minute then pale back out the next due to exertion or excitement, can drive ya nuts when waiting for a pullet to lay!

2 bony points(pelvic bones) on either side of vent:
Less than 2 fingertip widths apart usually means not laying.
More than 2 fingertip widths apart usually means laying.

 

[FreedomFarm13]

Ok, here's a pic of Ellie's comb/wattle....

Another comb/wattle pic

And a whole body shot, in case it helps...


Thanks!