The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[Happy Chooks]

Since we're speaking about broodies.................I've been filling egg orders as fast as I can for wellie eggs and imagine my surprise when I went up last night to close up and found a welsummer girl on the nest. She's still there this morning - she's not pecking me, but she is puffing up and screeching. I'll give her a few days to make sure she's serious, then give her some eggs and see how she does.

I should add that I have a bunch of breeds that are supposed to go broody, but my welsummer goes broody instead. Just my luck.

 

[vanalpaca]

The ameruacana's will have willow legs if pure bred. They will also have muff and a bread on their face where the welsummers do not and yes they will have yellow legs.
Welcome to byc hope you enjoy the site and the people.

Slate grey is the standard for Ameraucanas, check out the club website. "Willow' implies green legs and that is NOT to standard.

yes, you can also tell by the COMBs when they are larger as Ameraucanas have a pea comb and Wellies a large single comb. Do we get to see pictures?

 

[vanalpaca]

Willow legs belong to purebred to standard Araucanas......

 

[EweSheep]

Really? Thought they were slate.


Araucanas, the rumpless kind! LOL!

Willow legs belong to purebred to standard Araucanas......

Welsummers are not known to be broody. If they are broody, they can be poor mothers or if you had all the luck on your side, a good broody and good mom.

In case you do have a broody hen, let her incubate but have the brooder set up ready in case she tries to reject them or even kill them.

 

[pinkchick]

Kelly~ I hope that girl does a good job for you. I had 2 go broody last year and both did horrible sitting or trying to sit on the eggs. One finally gave up completely and didn't try again at all...but my beloved #18, whom I miss greatly, was determined to be broody, so I stuck chicks under her and she did a fabulous job raising them. She was a wonderful mother and sadly she died from egg binding a couple short months after she raised those chicks. Keep me posted as this broody girl of yours is from my eggs....maybe it is something that I should consider encouraging in my girls if they want to do it. I would rather have a broody hen sit and raise her own chicks then for me to have to do it....with as many chicks as I raise throughout the year, I would be ever grateful for the help from them.

 

[vanalpaca]

Bred to standard Araucanas are rumpless and have willow legs.

Bred to standard Ameraucanas have tails and SLATE legs, called blue slate/grey or even black, but definitely NOT willow. Go talk to the breeders that MADE the Ameraucana over on the club site and you will see this is true.

Now, back to our regular broadcast on this thread..... WELSUMMERS.......

My roos moved into the hen pen. It now has 5 injured roos hiding out in there that have been picked on by the bully boys over in the hoop coop roo house. There are 14 hens and their original 2 roos and 2 lame roos, plus the 'fugitives'.

Things are now much quieter at BOTH coops. Very interesting flock dynamics going on.....

The main roos also won't let the hens out of the coop while all the other roos are out free ranging. So I guess they will be free ranging every other day now they have figured out who is going to live in each coop until a third one can be built.

I'm going with another hoop house with tarp, cattle panels, wire, this time an UPRIGHT door, the 2 studs on apple crates worked very well for roosts. I will build them in 3 sections so I can tear them down and move them to fresh ground and the old site will become garden area.

Cheers all, off to get the riding mower fixed as handmowing an acre really is a NOT.
Bon

 

[Soaring Chicks]

Slate grey is the standard for Ameraucanas, check out the club website. "Willow' implies green legs and that is NOT to standard.

yes, you can also tell by the COMBs when they are larger as Ameraucanas have a pea comb and Wellies a large single comb. Do we get to see pictures?

Yep My Bad stayed up pass my bed time.

Sorry about that on the (ameraucanas)
Sorry to get everyone so off topic.

Best wishes on getting a new coop built and that the peace keeps for your welsummers!

 

[FlaRocky]

Hello all,


Well my broody hen is a wonderful mama. Turned her and the chicks loose in the coop with the others, it a 12X12 coop with turnout. She is one of the lead hens. So all is well so far. More good news, I think.... My number 2 Wellie is now going broody..... She has been trying to set for the last 3 days, so I will see if she will stick with it. How Many eggs should I put under her?

BTW, I bought these girls as 5 month old pullets and the breeder said that her Wellies would go broody and hatch their own, so she let them. I am thinking that I need to get a good roo and try to develop this trait. What are yall's opinions on this??


All help would be much appreciated,

Thanks,

Maye

 

[faykokoWV]

I think you can develop that trait if you want, we each have different traits that we want in our chickens. I personally don't want broody chickens, I want them to produce eggs and I'll worry about the hatching. I also think you would need to take into consideration all of the other qualities of the birds.

 

[faykokoWV]

Yep My Bad stayed up pass my bed time.

Sorry about that on the (ameruacanas)
Sorry to get everyone so off topic.

Best wishes on getting a new coop built and that the peace keeps for your welsummers!

trust me, you're not the first person in this thread to make a mistake or get off topic