The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[Hens and Roos]

Hi Kim

didn't really get lost in the change over LOL just kind of got lost in our crazy life!!! Babies are getting bigger and going good...have to check the camera and see if I can post a couple of pictures. The babies are all warm and snug-moved them to a bigger pen in our heated garage and that is where they will stay until it starts warming up. Our 2nd hatch is done and we have a few more Welsummers to add to the number.

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

 

[Tailfeathers]

yep.

re: champion welsummers. the north american club has no pictures of the standard they promote (that i found). the uk club has photos, but not very helpful if you're looking for the american standard of perfection. as i have said, i'm confused about proper color. there seems to be a tolerated variance and was curious what a welsummer who'd won some recognition would look like. if it's just about personal preference, i prefer lighter wellies (both roo and hen). to me, they look more old world, or classic.

As far as I know the WCNA does not promote anything specific other than the APA SOP. The SOP does allow for some "variance" in many areas of coloration. This does allow for some "personal preference" which one could use to establish their strain.

As for pictures of "champions", there was a photo contest on this thread some time back and you should be able to find some nice representatives there. Key words might be "Martha", "Elvis", "Champion", "Photo Contest", and such. Unfortunately, my absolute best Welsummer Cockerel (Elvis III) that took not only BB but Champion Continental suffered a stroke after my two Barnie cockerels ran him into the ground when I brought him home from the show and I never even thought about taking a picture of him.

That was 3-years ago I think. He was pretty close to perfect but his leg color still needed improvement. Anyways, either I haven't gotten another one like him yet or I sold the ones that were as chicks to someone else. Last year I worked on the Ameraucanas, Barnevelders, and Buckeyes. This year my Wellies are a priority and I'm really looking forward to it. I plan to hatch 100-150 chicks and keep them all until I cull them. Hopefully that will result in some nice birds for the shows next year.

Btw, my new Canon 7D, lenses, etc. arrived and I'm anxious to start of the weekly photo album now as well. Then I just need to make time to create a new website and post the pics. From there folks will be able to see the weekly development of my four breeds and, God willing, some nice adults. I haven't done it in the past but I'm thinking I'll post pics of any "champions" I get now as well.

God Bless,

 

[pinkchick]

As far as I know the WCNA does not promote anything specific other than the APA SOP. The SOP does allow for some "variance" in many areas of coloration. This does allow for some "personal preference" which one could use to establish their strain.

As for pictures of "champions", there was a photo contest on this thread some time back and you should be able to find some nice representatives there. Key words might be "Martha", "Elvis", "Champion", "Photo Contest", and such. Unfortunately, my absolute best Welsummer Cockerel (Elvis III) that took not only BB but Champion Continental suffered a stroke after my two Barnie cockerels ran him into the ground when I brought him home from the show and I never even thought about taking a picture of him.

That was 3-years ago I think. He was pretty close to perfect but his leg color still needed improvement. Anyways, either I haven't gotten another one like him yet or I sold the ones that were as chicks to someone else. Last year I worked on the Ameraucanas, Barnevelders, and Buckeyes. This year my Wellies are a priority and I'm really looking forward to it. I plan to hatch 100-150 chicks and keep them all until I cull them. Hopefully that will result in some nice birds for the shows next year.

Btw, my new Canon 7D, lenses, etc. arrived and I'm anxious to start of the weekly photo album now as well. Then I just need to make time to create a new website and post the pics. From there folks will be able to see the weekly development of my four breeds and, God willing, some nice adults. I haven't done it in the past but I'm thinking I'll post pics of any "champions" I get now as well.

God Bless,

Enjoy your new camera Royce!

I've been having a blast with my new camera this year.....I don't know if the chickens like my camera as much as I do...but hey, they get over it! LOL! They just look at me like, "Really? Again?"

 

[GhostRider65]

Hi Kim didn't really get lost in the change over LOL just kind of got lost in our crazy life!!!  Babies are getting bigger and going good...have to check the camera and see if I can post a couple of pictures.  The babies are all warm and snug-moved them to a bigger pen in our heated garage and that is where they will stay until it starts warming up.  Our 2nd hatch is done and we have a few more Welsummers to add to the number.


 

Great that they are doing well in our nasty weather, though today seemed like a heat wave at 9 degree's, slight breeze brought it back to -1, but next to -25 it felt nice, we shoveled the chickies pen, and cleaned stalls aN the horse paddock of all frozen icicle poop, poor horses must a felt like they were walking on rocks......but it was so frozen we couldn't even attempt to pick any up even if we didn't freeze to death LOL
I can't wait to see the baby pictures, I think I will go to the Fondulac swap in March and try and find me some Americana's...... then I will be all set for my breed choices, all but 1 my BO hen henrietta is such a sweet girl I wish I had 2 or 3 more hens like her, but maybe as replacements in a few years. If I get my wellies from you and find my Americana's that should put me at 30 hens and should be plenty to keep us in eggs and also maybe sell a few dozen every now and then. Maybe it will at least pay for there feed costs, unlikely because they eat the good stuff, plus Boss and organic corn, but any extra will help....... So when ya get time upload them baby pictures will ya >>>>>>>> hehehehehehe. CAN"T TELL I"M ANXIOUS CAN YA ? Kim

 

[Hens and Roos]

okay, I am attempting to add a picture on the new system.... this is of the 1st hatch from 1-1-2012 and these babies are from just 1 of the 2 groups of Welsummers.

Great that they are doing well in our nasty weather, though today seemed like a heat wave at 9 degree's, slight breeze brought it back to -1, but next to -25 it felt nice, we shoveled the chickies pen, and cleaned stalls aN the horse paddock of all frozen icicle poop, poor horses must a felt like they were walking on rocks......but it was so frozen we couldn't even attempt to pick any up even if we didn't freeze to death LOL
I can't wait to see the baby pictures, I think I will go to the Fondulac swap in March and try and find me some Americana's...... then I will be all set for my breed choices, all but 1 my BO hen henrietta is such a sweet girl I wish I had 2 or 3 more hens like her, but maybe as replacements in a few years. If I get my wellies from you and find my Americana's that should put me at 30 hens and should be plenty to keep us in eggs and also maybe sell a few dozen every now and then. Maybe it will at least pay for there feed costs, unlikely because they eat the good stuff, plus Boss and organic corn, but any extra will help....... So when ya get time upload them baby pictures will ya >>>>>>>> hehehehehehe. CAN"T TELL I"M ANXIOUS CAN YA ? Kim

 

[GhostRider65]

OMG they are so adorable............................ they remind me a little bit of my SS chicks as babies..little chipmonks, what cuties. TY for the picture.Kim

 

[Tailfeathers]

Enjoy your new camera Royce!

I've been having a blast with my new camera this year.....I don't know if the chickens like my camera as much as I do...but hey, they get over it! LOL! They just look at me like, "Really? Again?"

Thanks, Kim. What kind of camera did you get?

I've had mine out a couple of times now and taken a bunch of monochrome shots of the snow & trees & such. This thing has more bells & whistles than I'll ever use!

God Bless,

 

[McSpin]

what are you doing, mcspin? do you have pictures of your breedings? do you aspire to recreate another breeders idea of the standard, or do you have your own ideas (i hope this is taken in the spirit it's intended. it's a sincere, non judgemental question. just curious about your goals)? i'd like to see some of your welsummers.

Click on my avatar, then go to my website. It's not a secret.

 

[McSpin]

I would agree that linebreeding is an important technique but would disagree that outcrossing is. In fact, I highly recommend anyone NOT outcross as a practice. There are very few specific exceptions where outcrossing may be NECESSARY but they are rare. But even in those cases where it may be necessary to bring someone else's birds into your flock, there are far more important things to consider than just "whose line is it"? If I were to do such a thing, I would be asking a plethora of questions regarding their breeding history and plans than I would be "whose line is it". Again, I think the appropriate word to be used here would be "strain".

Let me explain what linebreeding is and outcrossing. Inbreeding is breeding closing related birds, ie. siblings, mother/son, father/daughter. Linebreeding is a more controlled form of inbreeding. In linebreeding, you set up groups of closely related birds and keep them separate from other groups and have a specific program for crossing the inbred groups into each other. For instance, you set up four lines of birds systematically cross them into the other lines. After two generations of breeding the best to the best in each line, you take the best rooster from line 1 and cross it with the best hens from line 2. The best rooster in line 2 with the best hens in line 3, and so on. There are dozens of variations on this technique, but this is a basic overview of linebreeding. Most backyard breeders practice inbreeding only and outcrossing.

Outcrossing does not mean to a non-welsummer. It means breeding to birds out of your lines. When dealing with genetics, you cannot produce a trait in your birds if your line does not have that trait - short of having a mutation. You need to add those genes to your line and you do that by outcrossing. For instance, if you have a great line of show birds that only produce lighter eggs and you want to have the darker eggs, you can hope for a mutation and take the forever-route of making your own, or you can outcross to a different line whose birds contain this trait. Then, systematically line breed this trait into your birds.

As far as this being useful, well it's only useful information to those who understand it. If I happen to know that Joe Smith's line of birds are notorious for light colored eggs, but that Joe Blows line is noted for dark eggs, then why would I even considered Smith's line? I want to know the line, before I waste my time asking the other pertinent questions.

 

[zekii]

Reading some of the message here on this thread, I have one question Is John Hall still breeding Welsummers ? This info I got off of
the Welsummer club site :

VERMONT
John Hall, East Montpeilier, VT LF-Welsummers Hall lines