The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[HHandbasket]

Someone in Auburn has wellies???? Hmmm... Auburn's only 25 minutes from me....

 

[pinkchick]

Chooks~ Looks like you will have to do what you can to get these folks some Wellies!!!!!!

 

[HHandbasket]

A while back I came across an ad that just made me laugh out loud! Some guy (might have been a lady, I don't know) put an ad on craigslist, advertising their welsummers as "an extremely rare Dutch breed, hard to find in the US, even harder to find on the west coast" and was selling 8-week-old pullets for $25 each.

They are not as easy to find as an easter egger or a leghorn, but they ain't as rare as he made it sound. I just had to giggle... instead of answering his ad, though, I texted a picture of my wellie to his phone with the subject line, "They ain't THAT rare".

My poor Martha is probably going to get culled in the next day or two. We need to do it and are waiting for DH to have a day off. We're pretty upset but her health problems have become too much. She looks good this morning, though. Seems like every time we've made the decision to just cull her, she improves for a while & we can't bring ourselves to do it.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Yeah, looks like it Kim.

For those of you near me (or new to this thread), I'm just getting started on breeding my welsummers. I have a pair right now. I will be hatching unrelated stock this spring to pick breeders for my rooster, Moose. So I'll be doing a fair amount of hatching this coming year. (fingers crossed for extra broodies

) I'm sure I'll have extra's that don't end up as my breeders, but will be perfect for those of you wanting layers.

Here's my main man at 9 months. I'll be taking new pics of him once he's finished with his mini molt:

And my favorite photo of him taken at 6 months:

My one girl at the moment. She lays a nice speckled egg. Moose did not do that to her head, an overzealous young roo did that.

And the poor girl being low on the pecking order lost a comb point when she was integrated. She unfortunately liked the "favorite" nesting box of the other hens.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
I la-la-la-la-la-la-la-LLLLLLLLoooooVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEE MOOSE!!!!!!!!

Hope I have made myself very clear on this!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Thanks Kim, I love him dearly. He's the rooster everyone hopes to have. I have never had to worry about turning my back on him, and he's a perfect gentleman with the hens. All he needs now is a harem!

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
It's a little easier to come across Welsummers here on the West Coast then it is Barnevelders and Heritage Delawares, IMO. They are pretty rare and their numbers are increasing

, but, I wouldn't say they are "extremely" rare, as the seller stated. $25.00 a bird is

pretty blippin' steep in my opinion, (sorry if to the seller if the seller is reading here with us, no offense meant in any way). WoW! I've never EVER sold a Welsummer for more than $20.00...EVER and that includes POL pullets, hens, eggs and chicks. For crying out loud.....for the first time EVER since having chickens.....just 2 short days ago, finally sold 1 bird and that was a Black Copper Marans hen 1.5 years.....AND she is currently laying and she was a cull, for $25.00.

Hugs to you and your family! She is a very loved girl and will be missed but you have done right by her thus far, know that my friend.

 

[HHandbasket]

Thanks. We really, really love her. I just went outside & she's diggin' for bugs along the fence and just seems happy as can be! She's just sickly. She is 8 months old and weighs MAYBE 2 pounds. She's small, and that right eye is swollen though is no longer draining green stuff and is LESS swollen than it was 2 days ago. That's what gets me... she waxes and wanes. It would be easier if she just took a straight shot downhill, ya know? It's hard to know if you're doing the right thing sometimes... but I know we are because she does keep getting sick with first one issue & then another.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:

It does make it harder when they have good days and bad days. I went through that with my dog and had such a hard time deciding when the "right time" was. I do still feel I did the right thing, but it sure doesn't make it any easier on us.

 

[Goose and Fig]

I hatched 4 eggs (along with a mess of EEs) from one of my wellie girls last month. 4 for 4 pullets! I know who's eggs I'm hatching from now on!