The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[grandmaof5]

The girls will be 24 weeks tomorrow (Friday); will you have a look and tell me if they are close to laying? The wattles and combs look red to me...

 

[Happy Chooks]

vermontgal..........Not sure what's going on with your girl. My girls are breeder stock, but one started at 24 weeks and the other a week later.

grandmaof5.......they look really close!

 

[HHandbasket]

My wellie has been here 6 months as of this weekend and was almost 2 months old when we got her. She doesn't even have a comb and wattles yet. Neither do any of the rest of the birds I bought from that same vendor. To be fair, my Martha (the wellie) has had fowl pox and a respiratory infection that she had to be treated for, which I believe slowed her growth down considerably. She has been smaller than the RIR and BR that are the same age as her (they were all the same size when they came), but she's healthy now and starting to catch up. All my birds are roughly 30+ weeks, and the only ones of our original flock that ever laid were the leghorn and the EE. The leghorn's gone (eggbound/died), now we have the EE. Got a nice flock of 6 chickens six months ago so we would have eggs in the summer but never got eggs. Martha the wellie is between 30-31 weeks and doesn't even have a red face yet.

 

[EweSheep]

Give her some time and she will lay again. If she does not lay right now, wait until early Feb to March for Martha to start laying again.

 

[HHandbasket]

Quote:
Whatchu mean "laying again" ?? She's never even reached maturity, much less laid any eggs. None of my hatchery stock from this spring is laying except for the EE. No one else has any combs, no wattles, no nothin', just like Martha. They've been here 6 months and we got squat... well, we don't even get squatting... lol !

 

[HHandbasket]

Quote:
I think it's hatchery birds in general. None of mine in that age range (30+ weeks) are laying, either. Not my wellie, my BR, or my RIR. Nobody.

I have another friend who has some hatchery birds that are about the same age as mine, give or take a week. Her BR has had red face, comb, and wattles for at least 3 months and still virtually NO signs of any egg-laying behavior nor any eggs in the yard, nest boxes, anywhere in the coops, etc. You and I are not the only ones, m'dahling.

 

[Lotsapaints]

Quote:
Whatchu mean "laying again" ?? She's never even reached maturity, much less laid any eggs. None of my hatchery stock from this spring is laying except for the EE. No one else has any combs, no wattles, no nothin', just like Martha. They've been here 6 months and we got squat... well, we don't even get squatting... lol !

Too bad you don't live closer I have POL's laying everyday and need to sell about 12 to 24 they are Partridge Rocks and Delawares...I'm getting 50+ eggs a day though I already have 12 sold just not picked up..but you're 5hrs from me Sewngrow in Turlock just got 5 and she said the trip didn't slow them down they are giving her eggs none of hers were laying either...

 

[vermontgal]

Well, my 33-week-old Welsummer has at least squatted a few times (two or three weeks ago) but still no eggs. Grandmaof5, your 24-weekers look closer to laying than my 33-week. I am going to start giving them some additional light -- about an extra hour or so a day.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:

Love the dual purpose name!

Welcome Vermont!!

I have some gals that are laying and their combs and wattles still look like they should not be laying. Depends on each individual bird really. Patience can be a very very good thing when it comes to Wellies.

HH~

She has been smaller than the RIR and BR that are the same age as her (they were all the same size when they came), but she's healthy now and starting to catch up.

Wellies will be smaller than RIR and BR's naturally. So if she seems a little smaller than those girls she should be, not by much though.

Pretty soon you 2 will be getting eggs and posting pictures of them when the rest of us have birds that stop laying......we'll be so jealous!!!!!!!

 

[pinkchick]

G-Ma~ Me thinks you are going to get some eggs pretty soon!!!!