Welsummer
Chickens
After experimenting
with other chicken breeds, Rhode
Island Reds, Americanas, Black
Australorps, White laced Red Cornish,
and Partridge Rocks, we decided
to raise Welsummers. This choice
was based on a desire to have
a mellow dual purpose brown egg
layer.
Welsummer
This Dutch breed, called the Welsumer
in its native land, takes its
 name
from the small village of Welsum
in The Netherlands. Developed
just after the turn of the twentieth
century, it was first shown in
1921. Its main characteristic
is the large dark brown egg, described
in an article in Fancy Fowl as
"a rich deep flower-pot red
brown, almost glowing . . ."
Although considered a light, soft
feathered, nonsitting breed, the
hens frequently do go broody.
Welsummers are good foragers on
free range. They were developed
there from breeds such as Partridge
Wyandotte, Partridge Cochin, Partridge
Leghorn, and then later, Barnevelder
and RIR. They are highly sought
after as a production bird, laying
a good amount of beautiful dark
red/brown eggs.
Another good quality about Welsummers
would be that they can be fairly
accurately sexed by the coloring
of the stripe on their heads.
Darker stripes are females.
Left:
Female chick
Right:
Male chick
Reference
The Feather Site. 2006. www.feathersite.com
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