The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[Goose and Fig]

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I LOVE my wellies, but I have slowly been adding marans to the flock as well. I don't just want dark eggs- I want variety! The marans that I do have don't lay as often as the welsummers- but they are still new to the farm and it's been really hot. Personality- wise- mine are so similar. The wellies have a louder egg song, the marans are more "talkative".

 

[pinkchick]

Just wanted to pop in and say hello to everyone and welcome the new peeps to the Welsummer thread! No doubt you will love your Wellies!!!!!!!!!!!

Wish I could spend more time chatting with everyone but I don't see that happening this week!

Wishing everyone a Happy Day!

 

[Happy Chooks]

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No, they should have red ears. You may have a brown leghorn if he has white ears. Here's my wellie roo, showing his ears.

 

[Happy Chooks]

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I have both Wellies and Marans. I love them both, so I definitely say get both. But if you are ordering from a hatchery, you may be disappointed in egg color.

My 2 Marans girls: 1 is huge and extremely friendly, the other is smaller and more shy. Marans do tend to go broody, so that may or may not be something you want. Nice big eggs.

My 2 wellie girls: Both are more "independent". Not lap chickens by any stretch, but they do come to me for treats and eat out of my hand, they just don't like being picked up. (neither does my Barred Rock) 1 lays eggs with speckles, the other mostly lays solid colored eggs, occasionally hers will have speckles. Their eggs are bigger than some of my older girls.

My wellie rooster: The perfect gentleman. He is a great protector of my hens, and I never have to worry about turning my back on him. He mates the hens as gently as possible and courts them before doing so. Lately, he's been in the coop looking after my broody girl. Again, he doesn't like to be handled, but is perfectly happy to take treats from my hand, then give them to the girls.

ETA: My wellie girls have been laying since early April and my BCM's have been laying since late June. For the month of August, both my wellies laid 40 eggs total, my BCM's laid 39 total. So my experience so far is their laying ability is about the same.

 

[EweSheep]

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You mean I don't have to wait after all!? Music to my ears!

I'll PM you momentarily.

Rachel

There you go!!!!!

Thanks McSpin!

HD Mech, nope, they should not have white earlobes at all.

Pinkchick, look like you are going to be busy all week, so hurry back when you got a breather!

Hiker, get both breeds and then you can decide after that!

 

[pinkchick]

Decided to stay home today after all...(need a new hip, too young and not ready to commit to surgery yet, some days it just plain BITES!)
anyway......to those who are looking into Welsummers, I say GO FOR IT, but as everyone else has already said..please be aware when purchasing from a hatchery, you may not get what you expected as far as quality and egg color. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against hatcheries, there are some good ones out there, but I don't feel like they are as committed to the breeds and quality, some I feel are only concerned about quantity, BUT, I very much appreciate the small scale hatcheries...for example our very own Lensters...smaller scale hatchery and NICE quality birds. If you purchase from a private breeder please do your homework as the others have suggested...they are SPOT ON with this advise. The most important thing to do is ASK questions and IMHO a breeder should be willing to share all information about their birds and the birds' background....if they don't or won't... I RUN!!! Just my 2 cents.

 

[hiker125]

Thanks for the advice on egg color. I am OK with any color eggs I get.
I just want to know where my food comes from. I try to local-source as much as I can and you can't get more local than your back yard!

My main concern is a nice friendly calm chicken that my DD and I can interact with. She would love to have one that is a lap chicken.

Our local feed store is getting some welsummers and cukoo marans today that I can have in a week so it saves me lots of $$ in shipping. I really like My Pet Chicken, but the shipping is scary.

Maybe I will get 2 of each.....

Oh I forgot. These chicks are from an Amish farm in central KY. I realize that these won't be show birds, but should be more suited to what I am looking for anyway.

 

[math ace]

I was expecting the welsummers to be closer to the color of my marans.
Instead, their egg was closer to the color of my wyandotte.

MY QUESTION - - - WILL THEY GET DARKER or is this all I am going to get out of them ? ? ? ?

 

[pinkchick]

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They can get a little darker after they have started laying, they can also lay a smooth egg the first time and the second it could have speckles on it, then back to a smooth egg again. Just like your Marans they are still working out the paint jet system. Welsummer eggs will not and should not be as dark as a Marans egg...ever. Terra Cotta is what you want.

 

[EweSheep]

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They can get a little darker after they have started laying, they can also lay a smooth egg the first time and the second it could have speckles on it, then back to a smooth egg again. Just like your Marans they are still working out the paint jet system. Welsummer eggs will not and should not be as dark as a Marans egg...ever. Terra Cotta is what you want.

2x

Where did your Wellies came from? I suspect they are from a hatchery or hatchery bloodlines. If they had the color of the Wynadotte egg, it is a shame!