Gold Duckwing Welsummer chicks 3 days old

The Gold Duckwing Welsummer (along with the other chicks from the incubator) are now 3 days old. They have settled into life in the brooder pen well, spending their days eating, drinking and sleeping. The brooder appears to be at optimum temperature as the chicks can often be found sleeping in the classic text book circle under the warmth of the lamp. For now they have the lamp on day and night. After a week I will change to a dull emitter bulb, it is cooler but more importantly it allows the chicks to develop a day/night routine.

Already the young chicks are developing wing and tail feathers.

The photos below show the two distinct colours of the Welsummer chicks. I am assuming the paler chicks will have the colouring of Gold Duckwing and the darker ones will be Partridge, although they will be split for Gold Duckwing (i.e. carry the Gold Duckwing gene). I plan to ring all the Partridge hens I keep to distinguish them from true Partridge Welsummer hens.



Photo below: Barnevelder chicks from the same setting