4 questions re Welsummers.

[wendywoggles]

I've just been given 4 welsummer 12 week old girlies and their brother at very short notice. Fortunately I have a seperate run and coop they can go into untill they are big enough to range with my main flock, (mixed ages from 24-85ish weeks). I've put them in the garage for tonight.

4 Questions

a) can I give them scratch feed of mixed corn in the late afternoon as I do with the others?

b) I've given them layers pellets for tonight and will buy some growers tomorrow. Do you think a 20K bag of pellets will last them for about 4 months? I was told they won't lay till about March time, thats about 16-18 weeks away.

c) 12+16= 28 weeks, are Welsummers late developers?

d) should I wait till they are laying before integrating?

I am really looking forward to following their developement and any ideas on keeping such little n's well during the winter will be welcomed.

 

[VALBURNHAM]

I have hatched a few wellsummers and I have not found them to be late developers. I think they are probably saying they will not lay till 28 weeks because its winter and the with the lack of light it will probably be as the days start to get longer before they lay.
I usually put my babies in at around 20 to 24 weeks with the others.
In my opinion 20kg of growers would be sufficient and then when that has run out I would put them on layers. I have put hens on layers at twenty weeks when I have mixed them with the others.
I would be interested on what others say about at what age you can give them corn. I have chicks raised with mum and I used to put corn on the cob in with mum from around six weeks and mum happily fed it to the chicks with no problems. As for hard corn I really dont know when.
Wellsummers cockerels are really beautiful and my girl is a real sweety and very pretty, good luck with them.
Im sure a real expert will be along soon to give you more advise.

 

[Chuck]

If my chicks are with a broody, they have corn from a week old as I feed it to the broody & they encourage the chicks to eat it. No harm comes to them. If they are not with a broody I start to scatter a bit from about four weeks old making sure they have grit.
So yours will be well able to eat mixed corn.

 

[chrismahon]

Hi Wendy. Have submitted two posts on this topic and both have failed to display. In my opinion I would:-

Give them a little corn as long as they have grit as well.

Get two 20Kg bags of growers and keep them on it until the first lays in March. This is to remove any risk of kidney damage due to excess calcium.

Late laying is the short days of Winter not a late developing breed.

Would integrate them when laying so they are big enough to stand up for themselves and they can go on layers pellets then, when they actually need the extra calcium.

They are young and may need the shelter of the garage on cold windy days. If they huddle up that's the clue -better safe than sorry.

 

[wendywoggles]

Thanx both.
I did put a 15 weeks old Speckled Sussex in with my main flock and she went staight onto layers, because the person I got them from told me it was ok to do both those things but looking back I wouldn't put such a young bird in with oldies again, she's realy did go through it poor wee lass. I did have two of them, hatching sisters, but one was bullied to death 06

 

[wendywoggles]

Hi Chris,
Sorry but your post wasn't displayed when I made my reply.

I'll go with 2 bags then and I'm guessing I can mix any leaft ove with the layers pellets to get rid?

I'm hoping their brother will ease their intergration.

I've now learnt that they all share a sire and possibly a mother as well. What would happen if I let them breed? Thats wasn't a plan but I do have a very bad case of Morehens Disease.

 

[chrismahon]

Hi Wendy. We mix left over growers with layers at about 25%. You won't have much left over.

Sharing a Sire isn't a problem but mother as well is potentially. Probably a question for other more experienced breeders.

It's been a long day -3 and half hours driving to Lincoln Market and then the hills and crowds! Just looked up 'Morehens' disease and discovered it is highly contageous and potentially incurable! Seek medical advice.

 

[wendywoggles]

Just looked up 'Morehens' disease and discovered it is highly contageous and potentially incurable! Seek medical advice.

that's the one, just keep needing morehens!! OH has caught it off me and I've a feeling some nieghbours are going down with it now. My sister had it many many years ago, but hadn't been identified as a disease in it's own right then, so I believe that's where I got it from and it's lain dormant for 30 years. :lol:

 

[Marigold]

Just looked up 'Morehens' disease and discovered it is highly contageous and potentially incurable! Seek medical advice.

that's the one, just keep needing morehens!! OH has caught it off me and I've a feeling some nieghbours are going down with it now. My sister had it many many years ago, but hadn't been identified as a disease in it's own right then, so I believe that's where I got it from and it's lain dormant for 30 years. :lol:

Probably a virus, then, if it can lay dormant for some years. This was certainly my experience of it, having kept hens in the 1980s, and then had another attack 3 years ago, which shows no sign of abating.

 

[foxy]

I am a chronic Moorhens sufferer too, I fear an acute episode coming on as I have just purchased a smart new incubator!

 

[wendywoggles]

I am a chronic Moorhens sufferer too, I fear an acute episode coming on as I have just purchased a smart new incubator!

Hope you don't get the mutant typeA Foxy as I don't think there's any chance of you ever being able to sell on your hatchlings if you have that. 19

 

[Chuck]

Re. the mating problem: You'd need to suss out how many hens were with the male as although he may be the father of all of them, if there was a group of hens, there will only be one mother of your male. Also depends on the relationship of the parent flock i.e. was the male related to the hens. However inbred they are you could probably go another generation, then look rounfd for a young unrelated male to go with the pullets you hatch and your old hens if you've still got them.
It rather depends on your attitude to inbreeding and some people seem to be very against it on principle. If the original stock is healthy, it takes a lot of generations before any real harm sets in which usually presents as lack of stamina and eggs and loss if fertility/hatchability.