The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[EweSheep]

Quote:
My welsummers show different levels of speckling. Some are like th first pic with HEAVY bloched speckling and others are more like the second pic, only a little darker with really fine speckles all over. So, my question is which is desireable? or is it just breeder preference? Thanks

Mine vary too. My understanding is both are acceptable.

2x

 

[pinkchick]

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:

 

[catfish/okie]

22 days ago I sat some eggs under my welsummer hen. None of them has hatched. Im thinking nome of them willl. Weve been under extreme heat and drought. Today a cool front came thru and the weather ladie in OKC calls for 97 today. Shes still trying to stay with it but I tonight when I come home from work if none of the eggs has hatched I will discard them. She got off the nest to often to try to cool off and eat and get some water. We have gotten less than 6 inches of rain this year. I know some of you up north and back east would be more than happy to have shared what yall gotten with of us if you could. I have a baby BR roo. And if nothing happens to any of my chickens I shall build a brood pen and give wellie another shot at if she wants to. Under more favorable conditions she may can be a sucsess at hatching some chicks. I think its about time for her to re nourish and re hydrate her self. She failed at it this time but just because she is still trying I think she deserves anothr chance next spring.

 

[McSpin]

Quote:
The SOP mentions large dark brown eggs, some with speckles. However, the standard does not state what egg color should be and egg color is not judged when determining show winners. The SOP says nothing about terracotta colored or any disqualifications because of color. I think what this boils down to is that each breeder can decide for themselves what they prefer to breed for, if they pay any attention to egg color at all.

 

[tazcat70]

Well 5 Wellies made it to lockdown and I currently have 2 chicks out and a great zipper!

 

[vanalpaca]

Went to Chickenstock and afterwards, stopped by Opa's and HB on the way home.

I am now in WELSUMMER HEAVEN!!

I have a bator full of large dark and splotchy eggs, GORGEOUS, and

a brooder full of Wellie Chicks!

I've checked and weighed and sorted eggs and put all the best ones on the second shelf that seems to be most accurate on the temps. The rest went in the best temp areas of the top and bottom shelves. Hoping some hatch from a sampling of ALL the eggs.

I looked and dithered and sorted out the chicks too. I zip tagged the ones I thought were the best and the ones I think are roos and hens. 4 colors of zip ties (boys and girls of each of 2 lines) and right and left legs to further the best and not so good.

I was also exhausted after the trip. I think I forgot to eat except at the potluck! Too much excitement for me.

Absolutely LOVED looking at Opa's set up and interesting things like his auto egg roll out nests.

I love chatting with people and we really did have a great visit. Such NICE FOLKS!

I think that as far a genetic diversity goes, I will be pretty well set. Now just to work with the results over the next 2 years.

Take care all and SUPER THANKS to you who have been helping me out on the wellies!!

Cheers, Bonnie

 

[NCSprout]

good to hear. look forward to watchin the progress over time.
have fun with those wellies

take care
Ivy

 

[EweSheep]

If you liked Opa's rolled out nests, you could have walked out with one LOL!

Glad you re very happy with what you have right now. I am tickled pink!

Mc Spin, I agree with you, there should be a limitation how light and how dark the Welsummer eggs should be. Speckled or not to be speckled, it really does not matter. Some of us prefer LOUD splatter of speckles while some of us don't like speckles but the smoothness of even color across the board.

 

[vanalpaca]

He had them nailed in pretty good or I might have thought of that!!

I really liked his set up and I liked what we used to call the safety walk in area or workspace with isolation/broody hen areas, counter workspace, and of course, an egg showing up from the roll out unit. I could start a new chicken tv program and maybe start some wagering, " Ok, now who thinks an egg will roll out in the next 5 minutes, place your bets!!"

And, of course, I did walk off with EGGS to hatch out AND those really cute little chicks.

No pictures yet because I finally filled up my 4GB chip on the camera!! So I'd either have to DELETE a picture or two or buy a new chip.

At the other farm I visited, he had that nice poutry fencing from Premier that had the electric wires built in and it really isn't too pricey for fencing (compared to horse fencing that is).

So I came away with eggs from Whitmore and from Calicowoods and they are in the middle tray of my new 3 tray bator where the temps are the best. But I really am hoping for an 80% hatch because most of the eggs were 2.0-2.2 and about half were the really dark ones and the other half were lovely evenly splotchy eggs that are really pretty.

I'm hoping to get the plastic cross stitch sheets and make trays with dividers and on day 18/19 pull out the egg turners and put them into trays so they hatch presorted!

I'm thinking that I really LIKE the baby chick part of raising chickens. I just sold my 4 laying hens to someone that lost her flock to a fox and built a new coop. Freed up that unit of mine to use as a grow out area.

Sometime this summer I am supposed to be MOVING a few miles away and downsizing into a mobile while gaining a barn and chicken coop and pasture, I have YET to find and move in a mobile, though.

July will be major SORTING and SELLING OFF month for years of our life!! But it is still only JUNE.........so I am playing with my chickens and garden and mowing and planting flowers.

I had the opportunity to check a barnie egg against these wellie eggs and the wellies were DARKER!

Cheers all,
Bonnie