What keeping Welsummers is really like

Welsummers come from the village of Welsum in the Netherlands, where they were developed in the early 1900s. They are best known for their eggs, which are a rich terracotta brown, often with darker speckles. They are also known for the rooster's look. A Welsummer rooster is said to be the model for the rooster on a famous cereal box.

The common color is a red partridge, with hens in warm brown with fine penciling and roosters in red, gold and black. Silver duckwing and gold duckwing Welsummers exist too, mainly from breeders.

Day to day

Welsummers are alert, active and smart. Many keepers describe them as friendly but not clingy. Hens will usually come close for treats and tolerate handling, but they would rather be out foraging. They are good free rangers and quick to spot danger. Roosters are mostly fine but, like any breed, vary from bird to bird.

Laying and egg color

Welsummers lay a moderate number of medium to large eggs. The color is darkest at the start of the laying season and often fades a bit as the year goes on. The speckles are part of the outer coating and can rub off if you scrub the egg, so wipe gently. Egg color varies a lot between lines. Hatchery Welsummers usually lay a medium brown, while breeder lines selected for color give the darker, speckled eggs. Some hens go broody, though it is not common.

Sexing chicks

Welsummer chicks are partly autosexing. Female chicks usually have darker, sharper head markings and a clear dark line from the eye, almost like eyeliner. Males are often lighter and blurrier. It is not perfect, but it gives a good guess.

Space and climate

They are medium-sized and do well on standard space, though they prefer room to roam. They handle cold well. Roosters' single combs can get frostbite in very cold weather, so ventilation matters. They handle heat reasonably with shade.

How they compare

Welsummers are most often compared with Marans. Marans eggs are darker and more chocolate, while Welsummer eggs are more terracotta and speckled. The Marans vs Welsummer comparison covers both. The Barnevelder is another Dutch breed with dark eggs, but it is heavier and calmer, with double-laced feathers. Both breeds are popular with people building a colorful egg basket.

Olive eggers from Welsummers

Welsummer roosters are a common choice for making Olive Eggers. Crossed with blue egg hens, they give green to olive eggs, because the brown coating goes over the blue shell.

Where to get them

Most US hatcheries sell red partridge Welsummers. For darker eggs, better type or other colors, look to breeders. Many breeders sell hatching eggs from their best layers, and you can often see egg photos before you buy.

Common questions about Welsummers

Are Welsummers good layers?

They are moderate layers, laying a few eggs a week. They are kept more for egg color than numbers.

Why are my Welsummer eggs not speckled?

Speckling varies by hen and strain, and it can also fade during the laying season.

Are Welsummers friendly?

Many are. They are curious and active birds that usually tolerate handling, though they prefer foraging to sitting in your lap.