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I have both Ameraucanas and Welsummers. The Welsummers are certainly at a higher risk of getting frostbit combs. Having said that, we had temps both this year and last that hovered around 20 degrees for a couple of weeks. None of my birds suffered any problems.
I got my Welsummers from Estes. I have been very happy with them so far, I like the personality and also the eggs. And the one Roo is a good guy, so far.
I have seen a couple small spots of frostbite (I am in West Virginia) during the bad cold spell, down into the teens and once down to 3 degrees at night, but nothing bad, and they have healed up nicely.
We kept them heavily bedded, fed them VERY well, and tossed stuff in the hay to keep them busy, but of course they roosted at night, and that is when the problem was.
None of them acted bothered, they all just pecked happily around and laid lots of eggs.
Yes I do have problems on the roo's comb....the tips of his combs were frostbit but he acted ok. I put vaseline on it so it will keep the frostbite at bay. The girls do not have the frostbit combs and they are closer to the head than the roo. Sometimes their wattles would have some frostbit marks on them but by summer, they are fine. As long you are not showing, it is not a big deal. If you are planning to show, then you have to go to the extra measures that they do not get frostbites. I don't think there is a knitted hats for roosters LOL!
I have some Welsummer pullets born at the end of Sept. Does anyone know when this breed start laying...around how many weeks?
I would also like to say that my cockerel is the SWEETEST chicken I own. He is always the first to come up to me outside. He eats from my hands, perches on my shoe when I stand still, follows me into the feed shed, and lets me pick him up and hug him.
My welsummers started laying at 26 weeks. I also have found welsummer roosters to be calm birds. In one pen I never witnessed the rooster breed any of the hens and none of them showed any rooster wear, yet the eggs were fertile. I guess he liked privacy.
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Gosh, I hope that's true for mine. He's scared #$%$%$ of me right now, so
. All I have to do is point my finger at him. (he bit my finger one time so we had a chase which ended in him being held for a while. And I point my finger at him to keep him from the treats until the girls start eating.)