Comments regarding Stromberg's Unlimited, Inc

I have speckled sussex hens and both my experience and what I have read elsewhere indicate they lay cream-colored or off-white eggs, not any shade of brown. Some might describe their feathering pattern as 'moldy' looking.

In April 2008 I ordered 15 Cuckoo Marans [12 pullets 3 cockerels] and 15 Welsummer's [12 pullets 3 cockerels]. I was hoping to get an appraisal of these two rare breed dark chocolate egg layers and order a larger quantity of the one I liked best in 2009. Chicks arrived at the end of May with extras and were superior in all respects. Have matured into 2 lovely flocks that began laying with the arrival of March 2009. To my delight the Marans are laying very dark eggs; but to my recent dismay I discovered the Welsummers are not Welsummer's at all, but Speckled Sussex as the eggs being laid are the pale brown which is proper for the Sussex breed. Silly me not to realize sooner Welsummers do not come with abundant white frosting on their feathers. Lovely birds but not the birds I paid a higher price for. I cannot fault the quality of my birds and the hatchery might have atoned had I contacted them last summer when I was first perplexed by the white speckled Welsummers???.

I did call the hatchery this year to make them aware of the mix-up. The lady on the phone was nice and understanding [huge smile] and agreed it was apparently a hatchery error but too much time had elapsed for them to atone for it. I said I understand, but voiced my disappointment at receiving a less expensive chicken breed without being alerted to it. My disappointment arises from growing out chicks for a year that I had thought to be Welsummers and they proved to be imposters; and here I had been anticipating my first Welsummer eggs. I did not inform her I was in the market for a new batch of chicks as I feared it might appear I was attempting to play hardball, instead I said thank you, apprised her mine was a courtesy call, and said good day; then I ordered 50 Marans pullets , and 20 Welsummer pullets from another hatchery. I'll not know if this was a smart thing until next month when the order arrives but I was caught up in the moment, as they say in the old adage 'once bitten twice shy'. This is more chicks than I had planned to order this year, but dagnabbit, I wanted Welsummers and I’ll get them one way or another.

To summarize: this was not an altogether unpleasant experience, I did not get the Welsummers I paid for but I do have some of the prettiest Speckled Sussex [10 hens and 4 roosters] as anybody [only lost 2: a rat snake tried to swallow 2 stout young pullets but it proved too big a chore]. And I couldn’t be more pleased with my Cuckoo Marans. I will order from Stromberg’s again but will be more vigilant for mix-ups. And yes … I did give the rat snake a reprieve and released it away from the henhouse. Best of all things to all of you. -Geo.