The Welsummer Thread!!!!

[missydcpc]

As you are in Maryland, Whitmore Farms is the best resource. Will's birds are beautiful. http://whitmorefarm.com/ Though in finding the link for you, it looks like he may be sold out for this year!

 

[naturespace]

Euskal Oiloa (Basque Hens) lay a light brown shiney egg.

 

[hereorthere]

We are looking for some Welsummer chicks - we love this breed and would really like to find someone who is offering young chicks or even started pullets. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. (I haven't read through the entire thread - so I apologize in advance if there are already posts from breeders that have chicks.)

Check out the WCNA site- Welsummer Club of NA. There are breeders listed there that send chicks a/o eggs. I'm west coast, but got my chicks from the east coast and they all arrived in perfect condition... the transit time was nerve-racking but that's moot.

 

[Hens and Roos]

I sure hope so! I originally had 6 BCM's but 2 turned out to be roo's, so I sold them and got the 2 Welsummers. I just LOVE the Wellies, they are so sweet! I somehow just can't develop an attachment to the Marans.... they are nervous, flighty, and to put it nicely, not the sharpest pencils in the box. My other chickens (RIR, Australorp, and sex links) will gladly eat any and all treats. The Marans?????? No, they have turned up their nose at EVERYTHING including scratch, tomatoes, greens, scrambled eggs, etc.... the only thing I've found that they will eat is their crumbles, and cantaloupe. They also won't roost on the roost bar, instead they all attempt to crowd onto the windowsill in the coop, with one or more constantly falling off. Thank goodness the Wellies seem to be normal and go after treats, and act like normal chickens. I ALMOST traded the Marans for some more Wellies, but am intrigued by the thought of the dark dark eggs. If any of the Marans don't have DARK eggs when they start laying then they'll be gone and I'll get more Wellies in their place.

curious to know- did you get the marans as chicks or were they older? The reason I ask is I found that when we purchased older chicks- 4-5 months of age-they were more standoffish and didn't know what all the good stuff was/won't touch it. It took them awhile of watching the other chickens we had before they would start taking/eating treats. Maybe with time they will get better!

 

[ChickChickChicky]

curious to know- did you get the marans as chicks or were they older? The reason I ask is I found that when we purchased older chicks- 4-5 months of age-they were more standoffish and didn't know what all the good stuff was/won't touch it. It took them awhile of watching the other chickens we had before they would start taking/eating treats. Maybe with time they will get better!

I got them when they were 3 weeks old. I don't know whether it's the Marans breed, their age, or just these particular chicks.... but they are weird. To drink from a bowl, they jab their whole head in (past their eyeballs). They did, however, pick up fairly quickly on drinking from nipple waterers, although they LOVE to peck at the nipples constantly just to have the water run on the ground, and can empty a 2 gallon container in one day. I already told you how weird they are about eating. Then, they will be just standing around doing nothing and all of a sudden start sqwaking and running like the devil is after them. They've finally gotten to where they don't run screaming like banshees just at the sight of me, but they still generally won't get too close. They did seem to pick up pretty quickly on the rake, which I brandish at them when they are seriously beating up on the Wellies. I find the honking sound they make to be weird too.

I got most of my chickens (RIR, Australorp, sex links) as adults, and those chickens are kept separately (separate coop and run, no free-ranging for any of them cause I live in town). All but the RIR's come running to me and love to be petted and/or picked up, and they are true garbage disposals. The Wellies I got 2 weeks ago as 8 week olds, but they will stand still to let me pick them up, and will eat treats and drink like a normal chicken. I think that the Marans are, well, just plain stupid.

 

[Hens and Roos]

I got them when they were 3 weeks old. I don't know whether it's the Marans breed, their age, or just these particular chicks.... but they are weird. To drink from a bowl, they jab their whole head in (past their eyeballs). They did, however, pick up fairly quickly on drinking from nipple waterers, although they LOVE to peck at the nipples constantly just to have the water run on the ground, and can empty a 2 gallon container in one day. I already told you how weird they are about eating. Then, they will be just standing around doing nothing and all of a sudden start sqwaking and running like the devil is after them. They've finally gotten to where they don't run screaming like banshees just at the sight of me, but they still generally won't get too close. They did seem to pick up pretty quickly on the rake, which I brandish at them when they are seriously beating up on the Wellies. I find the honking sound they make to be weird too.

I got most of my chickens (RIR, Australorp, sex links) as adults, and those chickens are kept separately (separate coop and run, no free-ranging for any of them cause I live in town). All but the RIR's come running to me and love to be petted and/or picked up, and they are true garbage disposals. The Wellies I got 2 weeks ago as 8 week olds, but they will stand still to let me pick them up, and will eat treats and drink like a normal chicken. I think that the Marans are, well, just plain stupid.

Interesting to say the least, some chickens are just more standoffish than others- they all have their own persoanlities just like people.

 

[Doctor Gonzo]

Heh yeah we have 5 black bantams, but I think one is a cochin she has puffy cheeks feathers. And is sweet as could be.

Thanks for the input.

 

[EweSheep]

Proudly to announce that I got a hold of Channing Grisham!

He got his Welsummers from Frank Clark, a well known international judge, a member of the UK Poultry Club. Mr Clark is well known for his DARK egg layers and raised only large fowl Welsummers. Prince Charles has some of Mr Clark's Welsummer stock.

Here's the article on Mr Clark, in 2005:


President for the 175th Bakewell Show is Frank Clark, a respected international poultry judge who has been Chairman of the Show's Pigeon and Poultry Committee since 1984.
Derbyshire born and bred, Frank has lived at Heage Firs Farm, a 40-acre smallholding near Ripley for the past 52 years.
National Chairman of the Welsummer Club, Frank's reputation as an international poultry judge has taken him as far afield as South Africa.
"It seems strange that when the first Bakewell Show was organised back in April 1819 its purpose was to support farmers through a depression. They had been hit by the Napoleonic War and a number of diseases affecting their stock which thankfully have largely been eliminated in the 21st century.
"Today farmers are going through a similar phase, although obviously for different reasons, and they still need our support."



So you will know if someone says "I have the same lines as Prince Charles!" that means it is the Frank Clark lines.

If Mr Clark is still alive, I can write to him and find out for sure where he got his stock from!

My research shovel is still digging...........I'm leaving a huge dirt mound behind........

 

[Hens and Roos]

Proudly to announce that I got a hold of Channing Grisham!

He got his Welsummers from Frank Clark, a well known international judge, a member of the UK Poultry Club. Mr Clark is well known for his DARK egg layers and raised only large fowl Welsummers. Prince Charles has some of Mr Clark's Welsummer stock.

Here's the article on Mr Clark, in 2005:


President for the 175th Bakewell Show is Frank Clark, a respected international poultry judge who has been Chairman of the Show's Pigeon and Poultry Committee since 1984.
Derbyshire born and bred, Frank has lived at Heage Firs Farm, a 40-acre smallholding near Ripley for the past 52 years.
National Chairman of the Welsummer Club, Frank's reputation as an international poultry judge has taken him as far afield as South Africa.
"It seems strange that when the first Bakewell Show was organised back in April 1819 its purpose was to support farmers through a depression. They had been hit by the Napoleonic War and a number of diseases affecting their stock which thankfully have largely been eliminated in the 21st century.
"Today farmers are going through a similar phase, although obviously for different reasons, and they still need our support."



So you will know if someone says "I have the same lines as Prince Charles!" that means it is the Frank Clark lines.

If Mr Clark is still alive, I can write to him and find out for sure where he got his stock from!

My research shovel is still digging...........I'm leaving a huge dirt mound behind........

that's cool information, great work on finding this out!!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Very cool Robin! Thanks for sharing!