The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[Happy Chooks]

So sorry to hear of all your troubles this year. I hope next year is better for you.

Are you still selling LF wellie eggs for your friend? I may be in need of some soon. I was planning on waiting until my new coop was finished, but it looks like I may have a broody. So what the heck, I'm gonna let her hatch.

 

[cpartist]

PinkChick, sounds like you have a good plan. My roo and one hen are from different breeders than the my other 3 girls
(although I think they are both Calicowoods lines). I know it's best to breed daughters to fathers and sons to mothers.
I'm hoping using the new boy, which is a cross between the two lines (positive about this as I identified which girl was
laying which egg), will be OK to use over both lines. I do have 2 pullets to add to the pen soon, one will be his full sister
(from the same hen)....unwise? Love to hear your thoughts on this.

I've been having fun thinking of names for your huge Wellie line...Dinosummers, Wellanators, Ginosummers

 

[EweSheep]

Good to hear you are still hanging in there Royce! We have been missing you from all those posts LOL! I am hoping Nate will add some of your friend's hatching eggs and blend it with his flock next year. I dont know why but it has been HELL for alot of the BYCers' birds coming down with sneezes, wet weathers, tons of bugs and worms and wracky weather that just don't end. I am hoping things will even out next year that we will not have heavy losses. Its bad enough or worse enough when we lose our favorite birds.

I am wondering if the reducing the sizes would be from too much inbreeding or we lost track of the size. My hen from Calicowoods is a big girl! So size may be the factor that we will look closely on. We dont want a bunch of Leghorn looking or sizes when it is a medium to medium heavy sized bird.

So we do not want overly large combs, white earlobes, slate, pink, green or white legs, lightweight, small stature, and light brown eggs or eggs that do not have the terra cotta color to them will need to be eliminated.

Not easy to be a dedicated breeder like Royce, Nate, Erhard, Opa, PinkChick are doing right now.........even I have a hard time selecting my best roos for the Spring chicks next year.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Okay everyone, I need some advise. I now "officially" have a broody, one of my pure Ameraucana's that has only been laying a little over a month.

So here's my thoughts:

I'd like to have some wellie girls for my rooster, Moose. Would you let a first time broody set on eggs you buy? Royce's friend, Mr. Erhard, has eggs for me. I do have an incubator if something goes wrong and she doesn't stick with it, I can finish them off myself. Then they would be laying in the spring.

Or, I can let her hatch my own eggs, which would mostly be olive eggers.

What would you do? (I'm leaning towards taking the chance and letting her hatch the wellies) I should add that I cannot raise babies in the winter, it gets too cold to keep the temp stable(DH won't let me raise them in the house), so if my new coop isn't finished in time (the exterior is mostly finished), then I can't hatch until spring. (via the incubator, not the broody)

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Are you getting a dozen or are you getting more? Erhard tries to send some extras too so here is what I would do and this is for a couple of reasons. I would split the eggs up and give a few to the broody and put the rest in the bator. This way you may be able to increase the number of chicks you get instead of putting them all under a new broody who may not be able to stick to it and then there go all those eggs. I would definitely split them up. JMO hope it helps.
BTW: Isn't Erhard a lovely man??? Just sweet and funny too!

 

[Happy Chooks]

The problem is I'm out of room for brooding babies myself right now. I'm hoping to have my coop done, but if it's not, then I'm screwed. (husband banned me from the well house, turns out he doesn't appreciate chicken dust in his electronic stuff) I need the broody to raise the babies. I suppose I could split up the eggs and then the last couple of days stick them under her so she raises all of them. Think that would work?

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Royce~
Wonderful to hear from you! You have been through a lot and I can tell that you are a strong individual and you will overcome. We never know our destination in life, but the pathways we take, are the roads that we must travel to find out who we truly are. You are in my thoughts Royce and I wish you all the best. Thanks for taking the time to share.

If bigger birds are what you want when you are ready, you just let me know......ooooooooh I've got 'em!

Thanks for your kind words Robin.....I admire all that dedicate themselves to their birds and improving them for all to enjoy, it truly is a labor of love and very rewarding.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Space is always an issue.....I hear ya!

I suppose that would work if you can keep her setting that long....you can always take them away from her if she rejects them.

 

[EweSheep]

I agree with Pinkchick!

Best bet to incubate half of them or use all of them, still let her have at least three to incubate so no real loss if she does decide to do something with them. At least you will know if she will carry it out. I got those broody hens and none of them will accept chicks but will brood the eggs. I am giving the bantams one more chance next spring to see if they will accept the chicks. If they refuse them the second time around, then they are banned from raising chicks on their own but will brood the eggs. If my Orp bantam hen gets broody, that would be the time for me to slip some chicks in with her which she was greedy in taking them all in! All 13 of them! LOL!

In due time I need to find me another broody hen, preferably another Orp and I will have two broodies for the complete 24 chicks deal LOL!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Then maybe I'll just give her some olive egger eggs, then incubate the wellies when my new coop is done.