Welbar chicken
The Welbar is a rare British autosexing breed, created so that male and female chicks can be told apart on hatching.
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The Welbar is a pure-bred chicken breed in the PCGB Soft Feather Light class. Its origin is given as Devon, UK, 1941 (Welsummer x Barred Rock). It appears on the RBST Watchlist as a priority breed, so keepers of pure stock help conserve it.
It is kept in large and bantam forms. Recognised colours: Gold, Silver.
It lays dark brown eggs.
Compiled from poultryclub.org, rbst.org.uk. See sources
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Identity
- Species
- Chicken
- Type
- Pure breed
- PCGB class
- Soft Feather Light
- Origin
- Devon, UK, 1941 (Welsummer x Barred Rock)
History
Developed at Cambridge (or by followers of the Cambridge work) in the 1940s by crossing Welsummer and Barred Plymouth Rock, then fixing the barring gene in both sexes.
Appearance
Resembles its parent breed but barred; males are paler than females. Autosexing: chicks can be sexed at hatch by down colour and pattern (males paler, females darker with clearer stripes).
Recognised colours
Gold, Silver
Size and weight
- Forms
- Large, Bantam
Eggs
- Egg colour
- Dark brown
- Notes
- Lays dark brown eggs; output varies with strain.
Temperament
- In short
- Docile (unconfirmed)
- Keeping notes
- Generally docile; a practical small-flock bird when strains are good.
Hardiness
Hardy (unconfirmed)
Broodiness
Not recorded yet.
Flying
Not recorded yet.
Suitability
- Good to know
- Very rare; autosexing quality must be selected for or it is lost.
Conservation status (RBST)
A priority breed on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust Watchlist.
Breed club
- Autosexing Breeds Association, umbrella · Website
Sources
This page is compiled from:
Review
Some details are still being checked. In particular: temperament; hardiness; date.
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