Welsummer chicks from Cackle Hatchery are here! *pic*

[muffi]

I ordered 10 Welsummers (available as str. run only) and 5 BO pullets from Cackle on July 1. They arrived yesterday, all alive with one extra Welsummer. I had read that Welsummers are sexable by the color pattern on the back of the head/neck. I do have some that are clearly pullets with the well-defined stripe and some that are clearly cockerels with the "blurred" stripe. But there are a few that I'm having a real hard time deciding on because they are somewhere in between. I tried to get pics of the back of their heads but they didn't come out well. I guess I'll just have to wait and be suprised!

 

[donnap1967]

Adorable babies!

Congratulations!!

They all look very happy and healthy.

 

[Must Be Losing It]

They are adorable! Now I have to ask, what does BO stand for? I've been racking my brain and that just didn't work.


I love that the Welsummers can be sexed so young. After 4 months I can finally tell which silkies are boys and girs and I actually have my first crowing rooster! It may seem lame to most, but it is after all my first rooster. And he's cute. He's the silkie that was head boinked and was having seizures when he was younger. At least enough brain survived that he can crow!

Are you keeping any roosters?

 

[SewingDiva]

Aww - so cute!

~Phyllis

 

[risurocket]

Pretty sure BO stands for Buff Orpington. Such cute chickies....I think I am being converted to really really wanting chicks....

 

[muffi]

Quote:
Buff Orpington! One of my first chickens growing up was a sweet BO hen named Peeper Dearest. I just had to get another one like her.


Quote:
I plan to try to keep one rooster in my whole flock and see how it goes. If the neighbors complain, then I'll have to stick to hens only. I'm torn about which breed to keep a rooster of. I have a little blue salmon faverolle boy that I love. But I also love my blue silkie boy. Will be a very tough decision...

 

[EweSheep]

I've raised Wellies for the last three years and all that hype about the V markings isnt true. I had females with very little V markings and males get the real V's. So I would judge at the earliest age from a couple of weeks old to one month old is the comb size and how red it gets.

So dont take the V's by heart that you would get more females that way. Hate to disappoint you. Many breeders do that, some have better luck and others do not.

This chick with a faint V is a pullet..

As far as hatchery Wellies, not all of them will produce a terra cotta color egg. Just prepare for anything if the girls start laying and it wasnt what you are expecting.

 

[muffi]

Thanks for the info, EweSheep. And here I was just about to conclude that I have 7 pullets and 4 cockerels, lol! Wishful thinking, I guess.

I don't care too much if their eggs aren't as dark as they should be. I just want a nice variety of hens and a nice variety of eggs. I really like how the Welsummer hens look. I hope they have nice dispositions, too.

 

[Must Be Losing It]

Are you going to get an EE? I think I might need one.

 

[muffi]

Quote:
I have 2 EEs. They are supposed to be pullets. I REALLY hope they are. I am having terrible luck lately. My RIR "pullet" turned out to be a cockerel. And just a few min ago, my partridge silkie pullet (well, actually it's my daughter's) just CROWED! I can't believe this!!! I am going to post pics under the breed / gender forum, since I am still in denial. After all, it was a very quiet, poorly formed crow, LOL!