The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[Happy Chooks]

Integration is going okay so far. I made the mistake of putting Moose in first. He freaked out, started crowing and freaked everyone else out. Then my red light was too bright and my buttercup decided to fly off the roost and pick a fight. So I put the rest in without the light. They settled down pretty quick.

In the morning, there was some fighting. But for the most part, the babies stayed in the coop and the adults stayed in the run. Funny though, my RIR who is the lowest in the order would go into the coop and just eat. She didn't pick a fight.

My EE surprised me with her meanness, but she still went in and laid an egg. A couple times I found somebody went into the run and were in the corner getting ganged up on. So I rescued them and put them back in the coop with the others.

And yes, my BIG BAD #$% roosters high tailed it and ran like woosie's when the fence wasn't there to protect them.

There was a bit of fighting last night at roosting time because the babies got up there first, so they got chased off until the grown ups were settled in. The last 2 were trying to sleep in the nesting box, so I put them on the roost.

I hope today gets better.

 

[lauralou]

I hope today is better, too.

I sorta integrated my 18 week old Wellie pullets yesterday. They were missing their rooster, who was a hatch mate, and is currently servicing the laying flock. It was the funniest thing, when I sold off that last extra roo, they were so sad. That hatch was very roo heavy, so I guess they were used to having a rooster in the pen with them.

What I did was to pull down a small wooden panel that separated the two runs. So all the chickens had access to both runs all day long. Then at night, the laying flock went back to their regular coop, and the pullets went back to theirs. Except that 2 of the big hens joined them... They used to live in that little coop anyway.

So everything has worked out pretty well for my girls. Mostly the adult hens ignore them. And they get to hang out with their rooster, so they are happy.

Hopefully everything will settle down with your flock very soon.

 

[pinkchick]

New2chooks~

How are the kiddos doing?

 

[Happy Chooks]

This morning I noticed the babies are getting comfy in the coop. Every once in a while a hen will come in and pick a fight. BUT whenever one of the babies comes out of the coop, they get ganged up on. (mostly the roosters, but the 2 pullets sometimes too) No blood though, so that's good I guess.

My really timid BR cockeral just breaks my heart. He sees a hen come in the coop and he buries his head in a corner and hides. I found him this morning hiding behind a nesting box. (the space is only about 3 1/2 inches wide)

I really hope they learn to get along soon.

 

[IggiMom]

2chooks, really, really keep an eye on him. Maybe you could pick out someone gentle and segregate them for a while.

I don't mean to be alarmist, but when I integrated some young birds last year, all were getting along well, and then I walked in one day to find a young Buff Orpington horribly pecked about the head. I don't know why they did it.

It was awful.

I have a handgun, given to me by my husband, because some dogs attacked our birds and he was afraid if it happened again I would go out and fight them off by hand.

I had to take my handgun out and shoot my nice little bird. I have to say, I was glad to have it available, but it was still a bad time.

Catherine

 

[Goose and Fig]

Here's my quad with some scardy-cat EEs hiding behind them. I wish these girls would get big and start laying already!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
I just found him cowered in a corner of the run with his head through the fence. He's been pecked and has some blood. It doesn't look like they tore his skin, but they certainly yanked feathers out.

For now, I put him back in the baby coop.

Why do they have to be so mean? My husbands response was to kill the others that pecked him.

 

[IggiMom]

They are not mean, it is just an instinct. Remember, they are good mothers, too! God compared himself to hens!

It is sad when it happens, though.

I have these little Italian Greyhounds, that I love beyond words. They are the most gentle and sweet dogs imaginable, but they have a pack instinct, and it works the same way. Once when a bantie got into the yard, one little Rescue dog went after it, and the others joined in, and they just went berserk. It was like their little brains just left and they were left only with that pack instinct. Sure made remember that they are cousins to wolves.

My chickens have had to learn the hard way that it is a good idea to stay out of the yard.

But yeah, it sure is distressing when it happens to one of your own.

Catherine

 

[CallyB57]

Quote:
Where did you get your Welsummers? I just ordered some from Ideal Hatchery. I ordered dark and buff Brahmas from them before and I'm so pleased with how they turned out as mature birds, and they are GREAT egglayers, all. I hope the Welsummers are as beautiful as the Brahmas. Also, the Brahmas are very large birds - I never thought they would get so big, and they were all pullets, just like I ordered.

 

[Goose and Fig]

Quote:
I just found him cowered in a corner of the run with his head through the fence. He's been pecked and has some blood. It doesn't look like they tore his skin, but they certainly yanked feathers out.

For now, I put him back in the baby coop.

Why do they have to be so mean? My husbands response was to kill the others that pecked him.

So sorry about your roo. I had the same thing happen - and it seemed sudden. Everybody was getting along, and then this one guy was in a ball in the corner for 3 days. He's been in my bath tub for a month now. Until the weather breaks, I don't have time to make him his own place. No extra girls for him either