The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[pinkchick]

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So I am reading that you saying that everyone purchasing Welsummers should be abreast of the SOP because everyone purchasing Welsummers is going to breed them and show them?

If so, I couldn't respectfully disagree more.

Not everyone purchasing Welsummers cares about showing them or the SOP.....LOTS of folks have them just for their pretty eggs, so I can fully understand why LOTS of folks do not ask these questions.

 

[Happy Chooks]

For Kim who asked for a picture......

Here is the girl I'm culling to the layer flock. (picture taken today) It's a shame because she has really dark chest coloring with nice shafting.

And the close up of the stippling, or some breeders call it peppering.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I got a wellie egg!!!!! Somebody is starting back up!

Not sure who yet, but it's an egg!!!!

 

[nicalandia]

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your culls are another men treasures...

 

[enggass]

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Where did this girl originate from?

 

[Happy Chooks]

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your culls are another men treasures...

Thanks.

She's still pretty and will still be around for eggs, but for breeding the stippling is not desirable.

engass...........She's from my flock. She was the result of the mating between Moose and Cleopatra. This pullet also came from Moose/Cleopatra and will be moving into the breeding pen.

 

[Tailfeathers]

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Having sold a ton of birds, I'm not sure that "most people" want or care to know the lines they get birds from. I would agree with that if "most people" is referred to as those who are serious breeders or into showing. WRT being comfortable knowing they aren't getting hatchery birds, that goes to my point. While I would absolutely be the first to agree that one should steer away from hatchery birds if desiring to get into breeding and showing (see my previous comments on here about the difference in the goals of a hatchery vs. a breeder), having birds from a "good line" doesn't necessarily mean anything either. It is the breeder and the breeding program that is what matters and counts.

Case in point, this year I hatched over 150 Ameraucana chicks. Out of those I got 3 pullets that are the oddest thing you could imagine when compared to all the others. Of course I sold those. Now suppose someone goes to breeding them and creates a whole mess of them. Then says, "Well, I got these from Royce and they're pure Ameraucanas." Am I to be held responsible for that?

This is why I say one must accept responsibility and claim the birds to be their own with the very first offspring they've bred. And I don't see how anyone can argue that it must absolutely be considered as such by the third year.

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Opa, obviously I agree with you. Again, if someone has an interest in the genetics likely to be held in a bird, they may ask what "strain" they come from as a good indication of what the bird may hold and produce. But as I said before, even in the case of Laurie & Nina, except for the direct offspring of those few remaining original birds obtained from Lowell, all others must be considered to be a product of their own breeding and therefore their own lines.

Lastly, Opa, while I do agree with you that it is still early for those cockerels to know what they will turn out like, in my experience the one in the foreground is going to turn out with way too much red in the breast. But do come back and post pics later on so we can all see how they turned out.

God Bless,

 

[Tailfeathers]

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Oh no, Kim. Wasn't trying to say that at all. In fact, if I had to guess, I would say that most folks who get Welsummers - or any other breed - probably don't know much about them or intend to breed them nor show them. I imagine I am not unlike most who started out just wanting to have a few chickens for eggs and the fun of watching them run around the yard. That's certainly how I started out.

Of course, what I didn't consider is that everything I do turns into an OCD!

Of course I couldn't leave simple alone and just enjoy the birds. I had to make a lot of work out of it!

God Bless,

 

[Dixie's Chick]

Tailfeathers:
I tried clicking your link to website and didn't get anywhere. Do you have a current website?

 

[Tailfeathers]

Hi Dixie,

Sorry about that. I had a website but it disappeared with Live Spaces but I think you can see pics of my birds and eggs on my Skydrive: https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=d15cfd025be1e503&sc=photos

I'll go in and change that now. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I plan to build myself a new website shortly after the holidays. In fact, I'm going shopping soon for a Canon 7D and some lenses. Just the motivation I need to put a new website together!

God Bless,