Welsummers????

[OBnurse]

I want to get Welsummer chickens next spring.

Anyone with good or bad information for me? Is this a good bread to get?

 

[EweSheep]

What are you looking for?

Do you want breeder's or hatchery birds? Are you more geared for egg production than quality?

If you go over to the breed section, there is a thread devoted to Welsummers. Hope it helps you finding in what you are looking for.

I can recommend one breeder in WI has some excellent Welsummers for you to look at, lives near Hudson......look him up in the Welsummer thread!

 

[OBnurse]

Thank that is good to know! I will have to look up that breeder!!!

We want birds that handle the cold well, that are friendly and easy to handle. Also we want good eggs and on occasion a good peice of cooked chicken. Roosters, I want roosters but I would prefer them to be as quiet as possible. I know, I am probably asking too much there!! I work nights and PM's.

Thanks for you advice!!

Beth

 

[EweSheep]

Well each chicken got their own quirks LOL!

I am sure Nate has plenty of roos for you to choose from. I got one of his boys and he has not yet crowed. He is already five months old.

 

[Qi Chicken]

I ordered from Estes hatchery because they were supposed to have really great welsummers. We got two hens and a roo (and lots of other chickens). They actually haven't been so great. The rooster was drop dead gorgeous. I mean he was really really handsome. But MEAN. He would jump up and try to spur the kids (and us) at only 18 weeks. We ended up getting rid of him because he was just terrible. We didn't handle him all as a chick because people said that would make them not respect you or something. I think that was a mistake because when he started to act up we couldn't catch him as he had never been handled.

The two hens were kind of a mixed bag. One hen was injured? or something and she was suddenly unable to walk. We kept her in the house for 2 1/2 months trying to rehab her but she was no better so finally had to put her down. Only one of the flock that was affected, still don't know what her problem was.

The other hen is still with us! She is more skittish than the rest of them but lays a beautiful egg. She was hardest hit when the chickens had cocci. She is gradually getting braver. They free range and she would be the only one that wouldn't leave the immediate area of the coop.

I think with all chickens the breed is about 1/3 of what you get with a chicken. you also have personality of the individual animal and then quality. hatchery vs breeder etc.

Essentially we started out with 16. Are down to 14 and the ones that didn't work out were both welsummers. I would check with more people into the personality of the breed though because all three of ours were pretty unfriendly.



ETA Just based on personality I have loved our Easter eggers. The hens are so friendly and beautiful, the roo is awesome, he almost died protecting his flock from a dog attack and lets us dress his wounds with so much patience. He likes to sit on my lap and is really a great great guy. I really hope he recovers. One ee hen flys up to my shoulder whenever I am giving treats and bubbles is just the funniest chicken in the world to watch. She is 3 pounds of PERSONALITY> I also just love the variety and the muffs and beards. I really enjoy them.

 

[EweSheep]

Dang! It is so disappointing to hear about the Estes Welsummers........I had some high expectations but alas, lately, I've been hearing some negative feedbacks. Maybe the first generation Estes Welsummers were the better until the second and third, now fourth generation may had some flaws that they are not observing closely on the disposition. I hope it is an exception but hearing about it is not good.

 

[Fabulous Chicks]

I cannot agree with this negative opinions on the Welsummers. I think any breed, if you want them to be friendly you have to interact with them. I agree that it's important to find a good breeder or reputable hatchery. Once again your interaction with your chickens is the key. I have 5 Welsummer's and they are by far my favorite. I hope you can find a good breeder; in the Spring of 2013 I will have good stock of baby Welsummer or eggs for sale. Good Luck

 

[Bawk]

I agree, I was just checking on Estes.