Welsumers @ 3 weeks (pics)

[EweSheep]

I see only one pullet, lower left corner, the odd one.

Dang, that is alot of cockerals LOL! It seems like to me, it s the year of cockerals LOL!

Now, it is either dinner or pet LOL!

 

[MrsChicken1954]

I had welsummer eggs from two different sources and the males have feathered a little differently in each batch. An old poultry breeder told me that the surefire way to sex them at hatching is (1) the eyestripes on the female go right back, but are shorter on the males and (2) the big strip that goes down the back has a break in it on the males, for where the 'golden cape' will later grow. In my first batch, the male had a black chest when he feathered at 4 weeks, but in the second the feathering looked very much the same on both sexes, but on closer inspection, the males (who had longer legs by then) had chest feathers with darker edges to them. However, if they were truly autosexing then someone would not have created the welbar chicken I suppose!

 

[JewellFarm]

Ouch, out of 9 pics, it looks to me like only one pullet. Hope for your sake I'm very wrong, lol.

 

[TimG]

When I went out to see my Welsumers this morning, I heard two of them attempt to crow. They aren't quite 8 weeks old.

I have a 19 week old Delaware cockerel who hasn't crowed yet.

I have two 12 week old Colored Ranger cockerels, one of which started crowing around 6 weeks and one of which has never crowed.

I've never before had multiple roosters around. Is it possible that the non-crowers are deferring to the crower? (The Welsumers are separated from the Delaware and two Colored Rangers.) Or, are the quiet cockerels the keepers?

 

[georgialee]

Here's a funny story for you: I had a 6 week old bantam ee that started crowing. He and my not-so-smart silkie roo of the same age were the only ones crowing so I sold them when they were around 10 weeks. The very next moring I was out in my garden and heard TWO MORE ROOS CROWING!!!! You could have pushed me over with a feather. Soooo... if you get rid of the ones crowing most likely you will have another one crowing within a few days.

 

[TimG]

The amusing part to me is that all three roosters are scared of the older, smaller, hens.

 

[krazycow6]

Ok another sex thing with wellys is look at all there chests see all that black...def cockrels, bottom left is your only female. I can post pics of my girls and boys to show you the difference. if you need me PM me

 

[TimG]

Quote:
Yes, everyone is in agreement! I've already given one cockerel away and would be happy to find homes for 6 or 7 more. I've advertised at BYC and on craig's list and hope to get to a chickenstock or two this fall, but expect that even with that I'll have more cockerels than I want for a while.

 

[Henman]

Help me with this one both of the wellys are the same age as for five others that look just like what I believe to be hens with no mistake. But this first pick had twice the comb and wadles plus more of a definite spur coming in. Take a look and tell me old wise forum if I have a roo or not.

Now the hen