The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[Ladynblkus Hen]

I Have A Beautiful Welsummer Rooster Hes Great! He Is Competing Tho With Blue Wyandotte, White Leghorn, Buff Orpington Roosters For The Love Of The Hens!

 

[EweSheep]

Rsquared, I dont have any of her stock anymore either.

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

Well I am very new to the chicken world...still just a little chick myself. But I have done a ton of reading and have decided that the chicken world is almost exactly like the dog world.

I have a shih tzu who is registered, but she is in no way a pure bred dog. Found out after I purchased her that the kennel (puppy mill) she came from bred shih tzus, poodle, maltese and some other small dog. Do I love her any less..no, she is a sweetie. She is adorable, and is probably a better dog because she is a mutt. I had not intent of ever breeding her, she is a pet. But I was at fault too, I bought her on impulse when I was grieving the death of my grandmother. I did not research the seller or the kennel she came from. I paid a lot of money for her and then as she continued to grow I had several people point out to me that she was not a pure bred dog. That is when I started researching where she came from...that mill has now been shut down.

It seems that some hatcheries and private "breeders" are in a sense kind of like puppy mills. They breed to produce quantities, not to a standard. And if your needs are for simple egg production and pet chickens they are quite handy and do the job. But if you are looking for a show chicken or a breeding chicken it is best to seek out a recommended breeder. It is too bad that the world is full of people always willing swindle people, but it is the way of the world. I am so glad I found this site and started reading this tread before I just ordered form a hatchery. I know that probably all of my starter mixed flock came from a hatchery, and I love them all. But I know now that if I want good quality pure breed chickens (for me I want Welsummers) that I need to order from a breeder and stay away from the hatchery.

Okay, guess that was my Sunday morning rant....

I hope everyone out there has a great day and that everyone on the EC is surviving Irene.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Wyochickenmama..........Most people start out with hatchery birds, then move on to breeding stock. There is nothing wrong with hatchery birds if you just want lots of eggs. But yes, if you want to breed and have any quality, you want breeder birds. I started with 7 hatchery hens (and they have a forever home here), then I started adding my welsummers, other breeds and this year I added barnevelders.

 

[McSpin]

Quote:
I'm not sure that is a fair comparison. Puppy mills are equated to abuse of the animal. Most hatcheries are simply known to be geared towards birds that are good producers, but not very good for shows. I don't see the abuse. A strong argument can be made that the birds from hatcheries are better birds if your goals are for egg producers - which by the way, has been the main purpose of the chicken for centuries.

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

Quote:
I'm not sure that is a fair comparison. Puppy mills are equated to abuse of the animal. Most hatcheries are simply known to be geared towards birds that are good producers, but not very good for shows. I don't see the abuse. A strong argument can be made that the birds from hatcheries are better birds if your goals are for egg producers - which by the way, has been the main purpose of the chicken for centuries.

I should have clarified more...I was not even considering the abuse part...just the idea that they produce for quantity, not necessarily standard of breed. I also put the term breeder in quotes because over and over on this site I have read about people getting a chick or egg from someplace or someone that thinks they are getting a pure bred something or other and it turns out to be a mutt or something different all together. I think just on the past few pages of this thread there is that sentiment of someone selling something that is not up to par. I was just trying to add on to that with the comparison to the dog world. Sorry if I offended anyone.

 

[EweSheep]

Wyo, I believe you have said it best and not all hatcheries and backyard breeders with NO ambition to keep their stock pure or up to standard would be abusive. There are some good puppy mills out there but majority of them are not as good and thank goodness, they were shut down. I had ONE good puppy mill that we paid dearly for a Kees but the breeder didn't go by the standard. As long the Kees look like a Kees, act like a Kees, built like a Kees and has papers of a Kees, champion or not, she didn't care, she only wanted the money but she was good about keeping a limit of dogs she had on her property. So that was one rare exception of a puppy mill breeder. We love our Kees but one Kees had a real shy disposition and very small in statue but she could make it up for her easy going personality with family members, and a terrrific guard dog that saved our butts a few times. She was also unbreedable so we got her spayed.

There IS a place for hatcheries AND backyard breeders that has no goal in mind except making money for as many chicks they can produce in a short amount of time. If you want eggs, colorful plumage that are not breed specific, and LOW cost, then these businesses would suit some just fine. I do buy EEs from hatchery..for egg colors, higher egg production and non standard way of rainbow of colors. No way I will sell them as Ameraucanas or Araucanas. I started off buying EEs from the hatchery thinking they are Amercuanas until one of the old BYC told me about it, informing me that my EEs were not of purebred Amercuanas.

So Wyo, you have a good point there. Thank you!

 

[rsquared]

Quote:
Welcome WyoChickm to the Welsummer board/thread. Lots of good folks here willing to help out any way possible. You will love the Welsummers, such great birds esp if you plan to let them free range.

 

[BluBug]

Quote:
Welcome WyoChickm to the Welsummer board/thread. Lots of good folks here willing to help out any way possible. You will love the Welsummers, such great birds esp if you plan to let them free range.

Agree~Wells are soooo sweet~my very Favorite Breed~I also now have Blue Orpingtons and after 9 months are becoming tamer but nothing as loving as the Welsummers

Good Luck to everyone

 

[enggass]

My first Wellie egg I believe... The long and speckled one seen here...