FOR SALE: Gold Duckwing Welsummer Cockerels and Others

 As I have mentioned before, this season many of the hatches have been cockerel heavy. We have culled many but it is such a shame to see strong, healthy birds go to waste.

All have been bred from my own breeding stock and meet breed standards and are good birds fit for purpose  i.e egg laying or table whichever the breed dictates.

So I have decided to advertise them for sale with all proceeds going to The Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team ( Ashburton)

I would be happy to use any of the cockerels advertised for sale in my breeding programme.

Please take a look at the album of photos in the link and contact me if you are interested in any. More will be added at a later date.

Thank you.

Photos of Cockerels for Sale

2013 update on hatching

With the eggs under the first broody of the season in the process of hatching I thought it was time to post an update on this year's hatches.

The chicks from the 1st hatch of the year are growing at amazing rate and now are probably more correctly termed growers rather than chicks. They are 6 weeks old and for the past week have been living in the stable at the yard without heat, but with a good covering of straw on the floor and with boxes to bundle into together for warmth. At 8 weeks they will be old enough to venture outside, as long as the weather is good and the birds that have been reserved will be able to go to their new homes.

The 2nd hatch of the year are now 2 weeks old. They were also hatched in an incubator, as my hens are very slow to go broody this year. At the weekend they were moved from the pen with a heat lamp to a pen with a dull emitter bulb, giving them a more natural day/night cycle rather than constant light.

I have another batch of eggs set in the incubator, as this year I have received many  pre.orders for chicks to P.O.L. At the weekend I candled all but the Welsummer eggs ( their shells are too dark to see very much at 7 days) all were fertile.

Photo: 1st hatch 5 weeks old just before their move to the stable

Photos: 2nd hatch:  3 days old. 1 week old and 12 days old

So, so far this year all is going well. Fertility is close to 100%, hatching rate not too far behind and the chicks to hatch are healthy and strong. All I ask for now is for a few more hens to go broody and for the weather to improve.

2012's breeding season has come to an end.

This week will see the final 'sort out' of the seasons growers and chicks. The last of the mother hens are ready to move back to their flock, their chicks now fully feathered. The male chicks will be culled and the females grouped together in one large pen.
 
 The oldest of the Welsummer growers, being kept as future breeding birds are close to POL and will be moved into large grass pens at the yard. Leaving just the last few, younger Welsummer pullets at home.

 The Exchequer Leghorns are still waiting for their new house to be put into place and then they too will be moved on.

All the broody arks will be scrubbed and the wood treated, ready for next season. The 'nursery' area left empty to rest over winter.

2012's breeding season has come to an end.

Weekends hatch

 A detailed update to follow but for now my photo (or 2) of the week - todays hatch 11 out of 11. Hatched under a broody Maran this weekend.

A mixed bag

A month has passed since my last post, so just a few snippets of poultry news.

The Gold Duckwing Welsummer flock are slowly coming out of moult, new feathers are emerging daily and in a few weeks they should all be showing off their glossy new plumage. They have yet to come back into lay.

The Exchequer Leghorns have already started laying again, having only stopped for a week or two. Their feather drop, apart from one hen was far less dramatic than the Welsummers. They are now in their 2nd year of laying and egg size has noticeably increased.

The broody flock are also coming back into lay, although frustratingly a couple of the hens are laying away. Two lay in the feed store amongst the straw and hay but I have yet to find where the Maran is laying despite many hours wasted scouring the hedge banks and all other likely spots.

The young Partridge Welsummer trio are looking fine. The pullets are laying, albeit sporadically, as are the Barnevelder pullets. The Welsummer cockerel is proving to be friendly to us and a true gentleman to the hens.

The sun at the weekend glistened on his plumage.



The young birds at home have been having the time of their lives, being allowed free range of the garden. They have done a sterling job of grubbing up weeds and bugs amongst the flower border, steps and veg patch.

Their numbers are gradually decreasing as more are sold. I have my eye on a couple of the Leghorn pullets I am debating on keeping, they are such friendly birds and their markings are very good.



At the weekend we weighed the turkeys. As they are more slender than previous years and so much lighter on their feet we were concerned they weren't making good weight. Looks however are deceptive as they are pretty much on par with previous years. The stags are weighing in at approx. 11- 12 kg, the hens 6 - 7 kg. and we still have four weeks to go.

Young stock - For Sale - Photos updated

Now I have decided on next year's breeding groups I have a few young stock hatched this year available for sale.

Turkey Poults - White double breasted 9 weeks old . £10 each SOLD


Gold Duckwing Welsummer:
1 Partridge colour - ( split for Gold Duckwing) pullet 23 weeks old. £18 SOLD


6 pullets 12 weeks old - 5 of which are Gold in colour 1 Partridge (split for Gold ) £15 each

Photos: 11 week old Gold Duckwing Welsummers. 5 Gold
1 Partridge split for Gold (Partridge pullet - sold )



Exchequer Leghorn:

9 chicks unsexed available in a few weeks - hatched 23 July 2011

Next years plan - Breeding flocks

Anyone who has read my blog will know my favourite breed above all else is the Welsummer - a breed that offers all that is required of a hen. Beautiful to look at, friendly, prolific layers of lovely, large dark or speckled brown eggs. Birds happy either free ranging or in a back garden setting. What more could you ask for?

Next year I plan to run 3 breeding flocks.

Flock 1 will be the same group as this year - a 2009 Gold Duckwing Welsummer cockerel with 3 of his daughters. This time however I will use all Partridge (spilt for gold ) in colour or all Gold in colour as I am interested in noting any difference in the offspring of the two colours e.g higher percentage of gold chicks, size of birds, colour of eggs laid by the resulting pullets etc.

Flock 2 will be the son of the 2009 Gold Duckwing Welsummer cockerel hatched in 2010 and as yet untried. I will run him with the hens not used in the above flock i.e the 3 Partridge or the 3 Gold hens. This will be a sibling mating and will more than likely throw up any genetic faults, so careful records will need to be kept and any undesirable birds kept out of any future breeding programme.

Flock 3 will be a trio of Partridge Welsummers.

The Gold Duckwing Welsummer pullets hatched this year I'll keep for a year before adding to any breeding group. I am eargerly awaiting for them to come into lay as there has been mention of Gold Duckwing Welsummer eggs lacking in colour. So far, with the 1st generation hens,(pullets from a Gold Duckwing cockerel to Partridge hens) it is not something I have noticed. The eggs produced have been a good colour, a very good size for 1st year hens and very good in number.
Fertility and hatch rate has been extremely high. The chicks produced, strong and healthy.

The only other breeding flock I will now keep, having decided not to run a 'table bird ' flock will be the Exchequer Leghorns.
My main aim with these is to try to increase egg size. All other traits of the breed I am extremely happy with. Despite their reputation my birds are not at all flighty, they lay well and have good markings, but their eggs are smaller than I would expect from a Leghorn. They are however only 1st year birds so I may be judging them a little unfairly.Once again fertility and hatch rate has been very high and the chicks are adorable.

Partridge Welsummer cockerels - For Sale

Today has been sunny and warm. The growers, now 9 weeks old had found shade and were settled for the afternoon, so were non too pleased when I approached them wielding my camera. Their lack of co operation, the bright light and shadows made for poor photos but below are a few of the Partridge Welsummer cockerels I have for sale.

They are strong, healthy birds with good markings and yellow legs.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on the image.

7 Weeks Old

Photo: 7 week old Welsummers and Sussex mix.

Photo: 7 Week old Partridge Welsummer cockerels


The Partridge Welsummers and Sussex mix chicks are now 7 weeks old and today was their first day in an open pen. They have grown well and I hope are now big enough not to attract the attention of the neighbourhood Buzzards and resident Sparrowhawk.

They have spent most of their time close to the pen perimeter, feeling safer and less exposed than in the open. They have chased bugs, scratch around and dust bathed, they have also sampled potato leaves.. not such a good idea.

Tonight the fun will begin when they go to roost/or not in their new house.