Welbar Chicken Eggs – Everything You Need to Know
Welbar chickens are fabulous utility birds that lay many dark brown eggs. Originating from the United Kingdom (UK), these large chickens result from cross-breeding the Welsummer and Barred Plymouth Rock breeds.
Welbar hens are famous for their prolific egg laying capabilities, while roosters are fantastic table birds that produce high-quality, tasty white meat.
What Color Eggs do Welbar Chickens Lay?
Like Rhodebars and Legbars, Welbar chickens are a utility chicken breed that lay large dark brown eggs. Welbar hens are among the few breeds that lay dark brown eggs. Although Welbar hens don’t lay daily during the winter months, they will still occasionally lay during cold months, ensuring you will always have large, dark brown eggs on your counter.
How Big are Welbar Chicken Eggs?
Besides being reliable layers, Welbar chickens also lay large eggs. Their large dark brown eggs are way larger than the eggs from the average layers, which usually measure around 21 oz. Eggs from these chickens can measure approximately 24 oz. on average. Some Welbar hens can lay extra-large dark brown eggs measuring over 27 oz.
How Many Eggs Do Welbar Chickens Lay?
Overall, Welbar chickens are reasonable layers. These chickens can produce over 200 large brown eggs yearly. The best Welbar layers can lay daily continuously, although egg production can slow down some days. The most crucial factor determining how many eggs a Welbar hen can lay is diet.
Like other chickens, Welbar hens need a complete diet to sustain egg production and to lay frequently. Welbar hens may stop laying eggs if they lack enough nutrition from their diet. Hens also need clean water to lay more dark brown eggs, especially on hot days.
The living environment can also affect egg production in Welbar chickens. Hens lay more eggs and more consistently when living in a clean environment. A peaceful environment is also crucial for Welbar hens. Stress due to predators and bullying among the chickens can have an adverse effect on Welbar hens’ egg production capabilities. The more peaceful the environment is, the higher the possibility of your Welbar hens laying more eggs.
Temperature changes also affect egg production in Welbar hens. These hens will have a steady egg production in the summer, although production will decline in the winter. However, egg production will resume to normal in the fall of winter.
How to Make Welbar Chickens Lay More Eggs?
Despite these factors that affect egg production in Welbar hens, you can continue getting many dark brown eggs from your indoor and backyard Welbar hens. Here are some natural ways to encourage your Welbar hens to lay more eggs.
– Provide Your Hens with Quality Feed
Your Welbar hens need high-quality nutrition to keep them laying more eggs irrespective of the time of the year. The surest way to give your hens good nutrition is by providing them with a quality feed. Although chicken feed is cheap, trying to save a couple of bucks by purchasing cheap quality feed can have an adverse effect on your hens’ egg production.
If you keep Welbar chickens for eggs, it’s best to provide your hens with a good quality feed with at least 16% protein. Besides providing the birds with quality feed, you should also let them forage because foraging will help them meet their nutritional needs by consuming worms, bugs, weeds and other plant material.
These food items contain crucial nutrients that will help your Welbar hens lay more eggs all year round. Healthy treats like corn, scratch and mealworms can help your chickens lay more and bigger eggs.
– Get Rid of Those Nasty Parasites
Parasites like mites and lice aren’t only irritating, but they are also disastrous to Welbar hens’ overall health. In particular, mites will suck blood from your hens, making them anemic and vulnerable to diseases.
A sick hen won’t lay eggs, and it’s also at risk of death. Internal parasites like worms can lead to intestinal problems and further hinder the absorption of crucial nutrients in chicken feed. Welbar chickens won’t lay more eggs if they miss out on such vital nutrients in their food.
– Reduce Stress
The more stressful your Welbar hens are, the more unlikely they are to lay more eggs. Petty and inconsequential things like loud noises can stress your hens. The presence of stray dogs and other predators running across your yard can stress your hens even further.
It’s your responsibility to reduce stress in your hens to encourage them to lay more eggs. If your hens suddenly stop laying, it’s most likely due to stress. Establish what’s stressing your hens and get rid of that stress factor to encourage the hens to resume normal egg production.
Overly, happy hens are excellent layers and therefore strive to eliminate stress from your Welbar hens.
How Long Does it Take for Welbar Chicken Eggs to Hatch?
Large eggs like Welbar chicken eggs take about 21 days to hatch. Some eggs can take less or more than 21 days to hatch, depending on factors like temperature.
Are Welbar Chicken Eggs Good to Eat?
Yes, Welbar chicken eggs are good to eat for everyone who isn’t allergic to chicken eggs. These eggs have loads of minerals, vitamins, and nutrients beneficial for your overall health.
Are Welbar Chickens Good Egg Producers?
Welbar chickens are reasonable layers. Although these chickens lay a decent number of eggs compared to most breeds, they are not the most prolific layers. Some breeds such as Leghorns are superb layers, laying over 300 eggs a year, while Welbar hens lay 200 eggs a year.
Rhode Island chickens are also excellent layers because they can annually lay up to 300 large brown eggs. Other breeds that are better layers than Welbar chickens include the Plymouth Rock, Australorp, Red Star and Orpington breeds.
Overall, Welbar chickens are decent layers that lay large dark brown eggs. These chickens are easy to raise and maintain, making the birds ideal for beginner chicken keepers searching for an easy to keep breed for egg production.
Conclusion
Welbar chickens are excellent layers for anyone starting on poultry farming, specifically for egg production. These active and friendly chickens are easy to maintain, besides being hardy. If you accord the birds good care, these chickens will provide you with a steady supply of large dark brown eggs.