The Welsummer

The Welsummer is ta Dutch breed of domestic chicken. It originated in the small village of Welsum in the eastern Netherlands in the early 1900s.  Shown at the world's first poultry Congress in 1921, in the next few years fanciers wrote a breed standard for the Welsummer and in 1927 a Dutch Association of Welsummer breeders was formed.

Welsummer or Wesumer - Either Works

The Welsummer became widely known when their eggs were exported to other European countries for the commercial egg trade. The dark Brown eggs we're a huge hit with the public. Rhode Island Reds and Partridge leghorns are amongst the breeds that were originally used to create the lines of Welsummers. Today, hens are a nicely proportioned partridge pattern with hints of gold around the neck, medium brown on the body, and tail feathers tipped with a rich brown. Males are the stereotypical vision people have of Roosters. They are the rooster portrayed on the cornflakes box and their colors are stunning. They are single combed, and the hens are fairly cold hardy and they will go broody occasionally.

Welsummers are intelligent and friendly and are also quite active and one of the best free-range foraging breeds available meaning you'll save on feed if you allow them to range freely. The hens have a nice disposition and do well in mixed flocks. They are also very good layers with some hens laying between 160 and 250 or more eggs a year. This breed is justly famous for their very dark terra cotta brown eggs, which are often speckled or spotted. The egg color and production make them a very popular edition to backyard flocks for people looking for a rich dark brown egg to add to the egg basket.

Brown Eggs and Auto-Sexing

Welsummers can be sexed when they hatch there are obvious differences between males and females immediately. Females have dark clearly defined lines around their eyes and extending beyond the eyes while the same lines on nails are indistinct and blurry. Females also have a clearly defined dark triangle on the tops of their heads and males have a less obvious much blurrier marking. The most common color of Welsummer is the partridge, though silver and gold also exist.

Welsummers have lost their commercial value and are kept mostly by enthusiasts who recognize the value of this unique breed of chicken. They are a perfect fit for free-range and pasture-based egg production on the homestead or family farm. With their foraging ability and high-end production, autosexing characteristics, and dark brown egg color, the Welsummer is a special breed.