The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[Happy Chooks]

Congrats on your new additions!

 

[Louieandthecrew]

Ouuuuuch! My hands are so dry that they are torn and bleeding

Vaseline, Lubiderm, and possibly sleeping in gloves tonight. Ouuuuch!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
Owie!

 

[BitsyB]

Oh my goodness, a 300 page thread. I read some, but it's alot! I clicked on it because I saw a picture of a Welsummer somewhere and I think they are so pretty. I want to add a few new babies to my small flock this spring, and am thinking about what kind to get. I don't have an incubator or anything, so I just get chicks that are one or two days old and raise them. They have to be all girls (no roosters around here, the neighbors are way to close).

Sooo, why are Welsummers so wonderful? And are they good egg layers? Friendly? Do they play well with others? We keep our chickens for eggs and as pets, and if /when they die don't eat them.

Any comments would be appreciated! (Even if you tell me that just because I think a chicken is pretty that's not a good reason to get one.)

 

[EweSheep]

Bitsy, I live in the city and besides their beauty, I like their disposition, temperment, beautiful dark eggs, very good egg production, non broody (in MOST cases but they are a non broody breed), gentle, and most of the time they are quiet. They suit city living quite easy with little room since my coop is 4 x 7 and the run is 16 x 7. I do have a roo visiting them from late Oct to early April for some fertile eggs if I want to get some chicks from them.

They also make good meat birds too! Delicious if you ask me!

 

[BitsyB]

Wow you've got me convinced already! They sound like the ideal backyard type chicken.

How do you get away with having a rooster in the city? I'm jealous!

 

[Happy Chooks]

They ARE pretty. (you won't find anyone here that says otherwise

) They are friendly, but not lap chickens. They get along fine with other chickens. Good layers of large terra cotta color eggs.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
I agree with everything Robin and HappyChooks said x 3 and IMO, Welsummers are the one exception to the "don't get it just because it's a pretty chicken rule"..

..sorry had to try and slip that in there.

Welcome to the Welsummer thread!

 

[SFIcelandics]

Quote:
Sure, I 'll take them! Sorry NO hatching eggs! I'm not ready to incubate anything at this point...too cold and electricity is too expensive for me to run at this time. I'd rather have Sarah brood the chicks and save me $$$$$$$! LOL! I am guessing she will start broodying around June even she has been broody off and on around March, still too cold. June and July are the best times for her to have them and its warmer. Yeah, it would take a bit longer for them to develop and lay eggs in the following year but it would be worth it.

Yes I agree, I don't cull them simply because they are older than two, my four year old CW hen laid me some eggs almost every day, roughly the same number as her younger years! I am hoping longevity would be part of the breeding too!

I am keeping track of those who are in the club. If they had a hard time getting into the Webs website, they can personally email me and I will get them on the list. Even we show 18 members on the member's list but there are more on the breeder's list that I took when I first started out collecting emails and names and city, states. Many of them still have active emails. If the ones that don't have active emails would be dropped from the mailing and membership list until I hear from them again. People do constantly changing emails, that is work itself LOL!

Got back from Springfield today, visited the TSC, met another couple who was in BYC too, buying chicken feed....really nice lady! I told her to find my handle name or under the Welsummer threads and she can come and visit us in here. Bought some chick feed, a waterer, and a feeder. Need to go and get a plastic tote and hubby is going to see if he can find some brooder light setups. I'm going to have to find a BIG bow and take it to dd's school auction. Still waiting on the Backyard Chickens for Dummies book. Hopefully next week!

After finding many people everywhere I go, I may have to make some business cards to give to people about Welsummers, WCNA and BYC.

Nate, do you know which one of your Wellies are pure Grisham? I hope they have a leg tag on them LOL!

Most all of them are crosses. I do have a young trio growning up. And they are out of a John hall hen, and a Grisham Roo and hen. The grisham birds lay a dark egg, with lots of small speckles I have noticed - at least thats the pullet from the pair i hatched this trio from. But I pen breed everybody, with 8 hens/2 roosters per pen. All of my birds are nice quality, so I usually breed them and switch them around once in a while, to get better genetic diversity, sometimes 1 rooster will cross better on a hen, etc. But over all, I keep tract on how each breeding went. so i usually witch them around 2 times a year, and dont really notice much difference, so the genetics must be quite stong that I am using to be producing good birds consistantly.

How are your hens looking? I got my NEW CAMERA up and working, charged up, and a new photo card in it, so I will have to start taking pics, and then upload them when I get my computer back from the repair shop this week.

I am also switching over to breeder pellets for my birds, so shold expect a HUGE gain in eggs in the next 2 weeks, and then they will also get their special treat, 2 weeks before I plan on start laying, and it pushes all the girls into lay mode, lol... Amazing what some HIGH protien will do! ;-)

Nate

 

[faykokoWV]

Most all of them are crosses. I do have a young trio growning up. And they are out of a John hall hen, and a Grisham Roo and hen. The grisham birds lay a dark egg, with lots of small speckles I have noticed - at least thats the pullet from the pair i hatched this trio from. But I pen breed everybody, with 8 hens/2 roosters per pen. All of my birds are nice quality, so I usually breed them and switch them around once in a while, to get better genetic diversity, sometimes 1 rooster will cross better on a hen, etc. But over all, I keep tract on how each breeding went. so i usually witch them around 2 times a year, and dont really notice much difference, so the genetics must be quite stong that I am using to be producing good birds consistantly.

So if I ordered another batch of eggs from you, chances are I would still get some genetic diversity?

get their special treat

So what is the special treat?​