The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[microchick]

I have 5 Welsummer hens, three of which the my rooster is showing a particular attraction to. I need to get his spurs ground down but in the mean time I've been making hen aprons for the girls. My Buff O hens love their finery but I'm having problems with the Wellie girls. They take them off as fast as I can put them on them. It's like trying to keep socks on a Toddler.

Any suggestions as to how to modify the pattern so they can't do their stripper routine?

 

[Lilyput]

Hi! My Wellies are approaching 30 days old and I'm wondering if I can get some advice about moving them to the coop outside. Some of the books I have read say 30 days and some say 60 days and another said 90 days! Lol I'm so confused....

They should not be placed with mature chickens until they are at least 12 weeks (3 months) old. They can go outside if they are fully feathered; if your nights are really cold, I would give them some heat.

 

[aart]

Hi! My Wellies are approaching 30 days old and I'm wondering if I can get some advice about moving them to the coop outside. Some of the books I have read say 30 days and some say 60 days and another said 90 days! Lol I'm so confused....

Moving chicks to the coop depends on many things.
How warm have you kept them......both ambient temp where brooder is and how you've managed a heat lamp/plate/pad?
What is your climate?
Do you have power in your coop if needed for heat?

Do you have other chickens?
Is your coop big enough to split?

The list of questions goes on....and it can get confusing because there are many 'right' ways to raise chickens.
Either read up in the raising chicks forum
and/or use the advanced search function to narrow your reading
and/or start new thread there with the details of your situation for some more pointed questions and answers.

 

[Lyons chickens]

I have two Barred Rock pullets, a Welly pullet and a roo that I put in with my adult hens at 8 weeks. They integrated wonderfully. I put an Ameraucana and a Buff Orpington in at about 5 weeks and they were quite fearful at first. The weather was plenty warm enough so I only had the heat lamp on for a couple weeks at night. All are doing well now.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

L:ast week we had some very wet weather. Saturday was a day of rain and periodic snow bands, then we wake up Sunday morning to a nice blanket of wet spring snow.

 

[MesMama]

So we're making the best of our 6 roos situation (got a straight run of 10, 6 Roos and 4 pullets, but one died). We got an old movable coop and are going to build a pen around it and will have all 19 chicks in there now and then we'll integrate the others and keep will the Wellies in that coop separate from the others. My hope is to pick one of the roos to keep with the 3 hens and rehome the other 5 boys. I have it in my Facebook page and a local buy sell trade Facebook page as well, so far no luck

The Wellie hens seem skittish but sweet, and SO pretty already at almost 5 weeks. One of the roos is way more social and dominant than the others. Maybe he's the keeper?

 

[countrygoddess]

I bought three Welsummer pullets at a feed store and I have a question about their coloring. I've hatched and raised a handful of Welsummers in the past so I'm familiar with their coloring, but I have one now that looks different to me and I'm just wondering if the coloring and wing feather pattern are in the normal range for them or if this was somehow crossed with something? Although I don't know how that would happen with a hatchery chick. Or maybe she's not a Welsummer at all? Here are pictures of each of the the chicks. The chick in question is #1. The breast feathers that are coming in look like the lighter of her wing feathers with the same patterning.

 

[cluckenchicken]

OK gotta question. My wels got attacked by a predictor at about 3-4 weeks and lost his wing. He has recovered but he's not as big as the other chicks we got with him. It is normal for wels roo to start out small? I know he should grown to be a big roo. Tha ks for all your help. I will take a pick of him....if I can catch him, little bugger

 

[Rock Home Isle]

We got to go outside today!!!!!

Eventually worms were uncovered, and chases were run...all sorts of mad scampers ensued as the girls discovered leaf litter, twigs, and old feathers. The feathers created great races each time one was found. Chicks running about flapping young growing wings and scampering after the bird with the feather.

 

[microchick]

I bought three Welsummer pullets at a feed store and I have a question about their coloring. I've hatched and raised a handful of Welsummers in the past so I'm familiar with their coloring, but I have one now that looks different to me and I'm just wondering if the coloring and wing feather pattern are in the normal range for them or if this was somehow crossed with something? Although I don't know how that would happen with a hatchery chick. Or maybe she's not a Welsummer at all? Here are pictures of each of the the chicks. The chick in question is #1. The breast feathers that are coming in look like the lighter of her wing feathers with the same patterning.

Well, I'm admittedly no expert other than having 5 Welly hens and 2 roos and what is striking me as being 'different' is the vivid white stripe down their backs. They are very pretty though. I love the patterning on their wings. The breast feathers should be coming in either in solid caramel color or in the case of Roos, black.


One of my then 6 week old Welly pullets is in the background and one of the little cockerels is laying in the bedding behind the Wellsummer cockerel. Note the black breast feathers on him and the rich caramel color as I describe it on the little pullet.