The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[tazcat70]

Quote:
This explains why I have a chick with feathers on its legs. My wellies were from Shaw.

With ANY Welsummers, breeders or hatchery stock, cull out the feather stubbed chicks. Those are hard to breed out. The more you cull the out of the breeding program, as generations go by, we would see less and less stubs popping up. It does not mean their entire blood is inferior, its just the genetic makeup that we have to work on if you really want to keep them if you do know you got good birds. Same for oversized combs and wattles similar to the Andalusians, Leghorns, Mincorcas, which it pops up more in hatchery stock....that should be culled out as well.

For those who has PURE Barber lines, feather stubs does pop up. Just cull them out totally out of the Welsummer gene pool. No need to pollute it. I've got a beautiful Calicowood hen and she didn't have any feather stubs, nor her siblings did either. I do not know if Mr Shaw knew of this and he culled them out. I wished I kept some of his pictures on his website before he passed away.

Since I cannot guarantee purity on any of them, they would all be going into the layer flock anyway. When the dog attacked and killed most of my birds I put everything in the incubator. But when it came to hatching time, I don't know who came from what....so...layer flock chicks.

Any new Welsummers I get will be the start of my new flock. Just not having good results hatching them.

 

[shesaredroan]

Pink, Pink, PINK,
I just moved 8 bitties to my brooder.

Looks like 2 roos, 5 pullets and 1 not sure.
Your WA eggies seem to like Texas.

tazcat, I'm sending you good hatching vibes

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
SWEET!!!!!!!

 

[pinkchick]

Second to last Welsummer hatch for a few months. Keep your fingers crossed that we have a good hatch this time and next hatch because our dear friend Beesong did not get any chicks to hatch from either set of eggs that I sent her. I am going to hatch chicks out for her so hopefully from this hatch and the next one set we will get enough babies for her to pick up on her way through to visit friends up north.

 

[EweSheep]

OK got several emails from different breeders.

You really can not tell the difference in the Welsummers. There is NO outstanding visible trait that you can see in the Welsummers that would ID the breeder's work. If you want to make your birds stand out a bit differently, do so but within the standards that it is not abstract to the breed itself.

However the black hackles or heavy black hackles in the Welsummer pullets are a no no in the standard. There will be some breeders that are working to "stamp" some traits in the Welsummers that would make them stand out. Like for example, Royce, for one, is working to add copper gold hackles instead of gold in the roosters and the hens and it would stand out more and therefore, it would be HIS line.

As for the egg colors, BOTH parents carry on the trait of dark and light egg genes. Use your BEST judgement and if you rather go darker, go aim for the dark egg lines. I would imagine to go cross with a light egg gene is if your Welsummer girls are passing on too much darker and needs to be lightened up, that would be the best course to go.

Hope it helps a bit.

 

[EweSheep]

Oh Pink, look at those sage eggs!!!!!!!!!!! Beautiful eggs!!!!

 

[EweSheep]

Tazcat, just keep trying...someone will bound to send you some chicks! (wished I could help you but my PO gives me a hard time about it!)

 

[enggass]

One of my Wellie girls from Kim at 8 weeks...

Steve

 

[tazcat70]

Quote:
Thanks! I haven't given up on them, I just need to wait a bit.

 

[Happy Chooks]

taz......If I had more than 1 girl right now, I could send you eggs. I have a few girls growing out, but not close enough to promise eggs.