Quick catch up

Photo: Young Gold Duckwing Welsummer pullets

With so much else happening just lately, posts have been few and far between. Life and routine, in the poultry world, however continues.

Most of the laying hens are now in moult and eggs are at a minimum. The cockerels have lost their grandeur and the hens resemble prickly pin cushions. The Welsummer flock have synchronized their moult, simultaneously dropping the majority of their feathers and all completely off lay. Hopefully it will be a short, sharp moult - the sign of a good layer.

All the 'spare' cockerels are now in the freezer, leaving us with just a couple of young Exchequer Leghorns. These will probably be carried through the winter and assessed early in the New Year, when they have matured a little.

All the growers are now running together in a large grass pen at home. The Gold Duckwing Welsummers, at 13 and 18 weeks old are looking good and are ready to find new homes. I would expect the older ones, at least to come into lay this year.


Photo: Gold Duckwing Welsummer Pullet


A couple of the Indian Game have recently been broody but this has been discouraged as I feel it is too late in the year to rear chicks.

Fianlly - the turkeys. They are growing very quickly and never fail to keep everyone entertained. A bird I thoroughly enjoy keeping and hope to breed one day, rather than just rearing for Christmas.