The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[GroundhogGreen]

Quote:
I've been feeding layer pellets from the local co-op, handfulls of scratch grain now and then, and kitchen scraps. I'm glad to hear that they look healthy. Over the summer they got all of the bugs I could pick out of the garden. I really enjoy them and would love to get more as soon as I move out to the country.

 

[soldier]

I wanted to thank everyone for the comments on my birds. Your suggestions and advise will really help me. I have been reading through this Welsummer Thread to learn more about the Welsummer breed. There is some very informative information here. I am so excited that the birds I purchased from the swap turned out to be nice birds!

Ewe Sheep - Your Calicowoods hen is lovely and she does look like my hen. So exciting!!

Some of these girls just started laying so I will take a photo of their eggs and post them to see what you think. My goal is large dark eggs, well I guess that is everyone's goal who breed the Welsummer.

THANK YOU!

 

[EweSheep]

About the back line: It's supposed to be at a 60 degree angle, not 45 or 35. The neck is supposed to be rather long with a broad, long back SLIGHTLY inclined toward the back. In order to avoid a break where the tail comes up from the back, there has to be SOME tail cushion, so that the overall impression may become somewhat U shaped. IMO, the hen with the well spread, high set tail comes pretty close to the ideal. You may want to check the Dutch and British standard pictures.

Can you tell me about the bronze coloring of the female pictured? Is it normal to have random bronze feathers here and there in the wings? Or must be of the same pattern for every feathers on the back and wings in uniform consisency?

I am not terribly fond of U back on the hens, it makes them look more Leghorn-ish. Sure it should have a tail cushion!

 

[Opa]

I haven't been on this thread in quite a while and seeing the newly posted pictures has got me wishing for winter to be over so that I can return my rooster and his hens to their proper pen. To lessen the risk of frostbite I place all of my roosters in individual cages inside my large coop so of course I won't have fertile eggs for some time. I also have a young rooster that I would like to get outside so that can take pictures of him. I think he is going to be a good one.

 

[soldier]

I would love to see photos of the Welsummers owned by byc list members. I wish some folks would post photos and lines or source they came from. It is educational; or at least I think it is.

 

[eggdd]

i'm always curious why people are so interested in what lines the chicks are coming from - - unless the chicks are directly from that line source, imo, it doesn't matter. the current breeder is making their own decisions and doing their own thing - - thus, i am interested, in what they themselves are doing. i also would think that some of the "line sources" may not like their name being thrown around. what if they don't like what the current breeder is doing? what if they don't represent their line? i guess, to me, a more relevant question is: what are you, the current breeder, doing? i'd like to see that - the results you are getting. you are the line source.

 

[Opa]

i'm always curious why people are so interested in what lines the chicks are coming from - - unless the chicks are directly from that line source, imo, it doesn't matter. the current breeder is making their own decisions and doing their own thing - - thus, i am interested, in what they themselves are doing. i also would think that some of the "line sources" may not like their name being thrown around. what if they don't like what the current breeder is doing? what if they don't represent their line? i guess, to me, a more relevant question is: what are you, the current breeder, doing? i'd like to see that - the results you are getting. you are the line source.

Amen

 

[GhostRider65]

Hey all hows it going?, was hoping to see some baby pictures Hens and roos,did you get lost in the change over? .anyway How are they doing? How they taking our cold terrible Wisconsin weather? argggg its 25 below here again tonight, my poor chickies, seem to be fine but I'm very worried about them, I turned there heat lamp on last night and let it run all day, and even though they are roosting I left it on tonite again just in case anyone gets cold enough to get down and go under it. Man I surely am ready for spring already, even though our winter as a whole has been fairly nice I hate the below zero stuff.

Soldiere, I Love the girls picture that were posted last page, I can't wait to get mine........... stay warm y'all Kim

 

[flowerchild59]

By chance is anyone going to the Heartland Poultry show in cape girardeau, MO on march 17th. I am looking to purchase some wellies and would love to get some nice birds that day.

 

[soldier]

i'm always curious why people are so interested in what lines the chicks are coming from - - unless the chicks are directly from that line source, imo, it doesn't matter. the current breeder is making their own decisions and doing their own thing - - thus, i am interested, in what they themselves are doing. i also would think that some of the "line sources" may not like their name being thrown around. what if they don't like what the current breeder is doing? what if they don't represent their line? i guess, to me, a more relevant question is: what are you, the current breeder, doing? i'd like to see that - the results you are getting. you are the line source.

I totally agree with what you are saying. But for those just learning about Welsummers it would be nice to see examples of particular lines. If anyone has "original" birds, or photos of original birds from "original" lines please post them and explain why these lines are different and what the breeders goal was. How were the birds phenotypically different from other lines. What did the original lines focus on. Why were they different?

I also agree that it would be educational to see what folks are doing with their own breeding programs. What do they want to attain both genotypically and phenotypically. What is their "ideal" end result. What do your birds/your lines look like. What is the breeders ideal bird.

I have been going through some old posts to try to learn about the breed. I have come to the conclusion that some of the strains do have a different look to them. It would be great to see representations of the these particular lines. Representations of a current breeders program as well as representations of what "original" stock looked like from these different lines. It would be nice to see a "show and tell" of original stock and "current lines" as well.
All this is GREAT education. At least it is in my eyes. I