Welsummer

Welsummer Chicken is famous in the UK and Australia, but they only have a big follow-up here in the US, which is shocking as they are ‘superstar’. The mascot, Cornelius Rooster of ‘Kellogg’s Corn Flakes’ is a Welsummer chicken.

Bred from such notable breeds also as Rhode Island Red, Barnevelder, Leghorn, and Wyandotte, and in the previous decade, this famous Dutch breed is a great choice and for beginning chicken-keeper!

Welsummers rarely go broody, if handled in early stage and kept in a breeding environment.

Those looking for a pet that is engaging and energetic would do well to love the russet-brown Welsummer hen.

~History of Welsummer Chicken

If you’re familiar with chickens and happy to join your 1st flock home, there is a decent possibility that you’ve seen such a Welsummer before. Cornelius, a rooster of a Kellogg, is a carbonized edition of the Welsummer.

The breed is known with partridge sequence in mind. Netherlands breeders mixed many breed partridge variants such as the Cochin, Leghorn, or Wyandotte.

Also, these species were mixed with local birds, which were produced for agricultural usages. The outcome was a medium-sized bird suitable for consumption as eggs or meat.

The species made its official debut only at the World Poultry Congress through 1921, but continued to develop for years afterward. Welsummers were warmly received by poultry lovers in the US and most of Europe in the late 19th century.

~Lifespan of Welsummer Chickens

Compared to other chicken breeds, Welsummers have a good lifespan of 6-9 years. The better you take care of them, the longer they will live. We have seen some Welsummers live more than the average life expectancy.

~Egg production

Welsummers lay distinct and exquisite eggs. They are a deeper terracotta color, distinctive from a standard brown egg. However, they are not as strong as certain other species, and the quality of their eggs varies significantly.

You can read here about chickens that lay colored eggs.

Most Welsummer chickens will lie around 160 eggs each year, though some may lay closer to 250. The eggs are brown in color and large in size.

In the cold season, they prefer to lay fewer, which is not unusual, particularly in breeds that haven’t been produced specifically for egg-laying. If you are worrying about summer, you can check some best heaters for poultry farms.

Birds that are more “natural,” or similar to the norm of breeding, prefer to lay less than the others.

~Temperament

When we discuss the temperament of Welsummer chickens, they are quite calm and polite birds and are suited for public and private backyard flocks interested in egg production.

They would not mind being treated by their chicken keeping, but if you are serious, they will not let them free roam. They are content to be held in a run and enclosed field.

~Color

The rooster is quite distinct and so cute, with its hackles or saddle wings of dark or free-flowing chestnut. Moreover, their sickles are a luxuriant beetle green coloring beneath feathers or ears.
Size

A Welsummer chicken is a large size chicken breed. The Welsummer rooster typically weighs around 7.5 lbs and the hen weighs around 6 lbs.
Appearance

The well summer is a lovely, sturdy bird, whose feather shimmer in the light. They have a reasonably straight stance, with a broad, flat back. Their large comb is bright red, while their legs are

a bright yellow.

The wattles and earlobes of Welsummer chickens are red in color. They are large in size and have a full breast and large full tail. Also, they have a broad back and short beak.

~Characteristics

Among the few self-sexing baby chicks, Welsummers would be easy to pick. Female chicks have significantly darker marks on the head or back than males do.
The marks on female chicks are much cleaner-edged and more specified, making it effortless to differentiate the egg-layers from potential roasts.
Also, the whole breed can save you cash on feed by foraging much of its food unless free-range is approved. Those features would surely benefit chicken keepers trying to maximize the output of their flocks!
They typically live for about 9 years, and the very first three years can regularly lay eggs. And what can be greater than a friend who lets you eat with chocolate-brown eggs?

If you really want spotted terracotta eggs, Welsummer chicken is a fine addition to a flock!