The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[EweSheep]

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Eggs would work as well, if you want some of those in 2011 sometime? Im thinking of seperating my welsummers earlier than the rest of the birds so I can get a head start on hatching them as they always sell so fast!

Nate

Good idea Nate! That way you don't have to do the four week waiting period just to make sure all the existing roo's sperms are OUT of the hen's systems. Nothing like a "surprise" chick popping up in the bators!

 

[SFIcelandics]

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Looking really good... They have been pretty consistent with quality this year! I cant wait to see what kind of egg the new breeding stock from this year is going to lay!!!

 

[Hens and Roos]

Thanks everyone, they are a little on the spooky side and run to the other side of the pen but will come around, we use small pieces of bread for treats and our others come right up to us! We did just move them into our new coop so they have their own pen/run until they are big enough to be added to the other groups. Currently we have a boys only pen/run and a girls only pen/run.

 

[SFIcelandics]

Quote:
Eggs would work as well, if you want some of those in 2011 sometime? Im thinking of seperating my welsummers earlier than the rest of the birds so I can get a head start on hatching them as they always sell so fast!

Nate

Good idea Nate! That way you don't have to do the four week waiting period just to make sure all the existing roo's sperms are OUT of the hen's systems. Nothing like a "surprise" chick popping up in the bators!

Yeah, well usually when I want to start setting up breeding pens, I pull all of the roosters 4-6 weeks before I want to set them up, then all the roosters are in 1 pen, and all the hens in another, and I dont have to set up all the breeding pens to have to feed and water more than 2 pens in the winter.

This year I pulled my welsummer LF rooster to do an experiment, and after 3 weeks of not having him with the girls I was still hatching at over 60%!!! Ill have to look at my hatching records for this year and see how the 3 weeks of hatching went without him in with the girls.

Nate

 

[SFIcelandics]

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I have noticed with the LF welsummer chicks they can be spooky, but when they are adults, I have to try and not stepping on them!

Nate

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
Eggs would work as well, if you want some of those in 2011 sometime? Im thinking of seperating my welsummers earlier than the rest of the birds so I can get a head start on hatching them as they always sell so fast!

Nate

That would work better for me.

 

[RhodeRunner]

Quote:
I have noticed with the LF welsummer chicks they can be spooky, but when they are adults, I have to try and not stepping on them!

Nate

Nice to hear! Mine are the same way, young and very nervous. Yet, they will do anything for a snack. lol. Thank goodness chickens are bribable.

 

[Hens and Roos]

Quote:
I have noticed with the LF welsummer chicks they can be spooky, but when they are adults, I have to try and not stepping on them!

Nate

Nice to hear! Mine are the same way, young and very nervous. Yet, they will do anything for a snack. lol. Thank goodness chickens are bribable.

yes our older birds come running to the fence when they see us approching and all talking hoping we have treats! We get discard bread from a bakery for them and they love it!

 

[EweSheep]

OK Nate here are your babies >>> They are molting bad so excuse lack of "presentation". The run has been crater-holed by the birds themselves and it has been so dry for at least a month and half.

Here are all the girls and a boy among the crowd. The roo is really towering over the girls. Summer, my Calicowood hen is among the crowd and she looks pitiful with her molt. The roo is acting roo-ish but haven't figured out the steps yet nor I predict he will soon. I have not heard him crowing. They all love their freezer burned corn on cob I found in the bottom of my freezer and some bread. Their adoptive momma, the Black Orp banty, still is mothering them but keeping her son in line if he starts feeling his oats.

A close up pic of the roo...he was goreous about a week ago and now he looks pitiful! He will lose his tail feathers soon. Thru his body, here and there are some porcupine quills sticking out. I can not wait for him to be flat out handsome by next spring and show his full splendor!

A picture of my year and half old German Verheyden Welsummer Bantam hen...she looks beautiful at this age than she did when younger. She lost all of her richness, dark colors and now into her "matured" color of the Welsummer.

 

[Hens and Roos]

Nice pics Ewesheep.

I have a question about lightening, we have added light to our coop so that our pullets, who are 5 to 6 months old will have 16 hours of light and begin laying eggs so that my kids can hatch early in Jan 2011 for 4-H projects. We also placed the 5 Welsummer babies(2 months old) in the same coop this past Sat(10/16)-so they are also getting the same amount of light. So the question is will this light affect how fast they mature and/or cause them to mature at an earlier age and not grow as big as they should? Any ideas?