Chicken breed
Welsummer
The Welsummer is a Dutch breed prized for dark brown, often speckled eggs. Hens are friendly, active foragers that do well in most climates. They are a good choice for adding egg color to a flock.
At a glance
160–280eggs a year
3–5eggs a week
16–20weeks to first egg
6 lbhen weight
7 lbrooster weight
Largeegg size
Traits
- Cold hardyhigh
- Heat toleranthigh
- Goes broodymedium
- Fine in a small runhigh
- Egg colour
- dark brown (terracotta/chocolate), often speckled
- Temperament
- friendly but active; not especially docile
- Origin
- Netherlands (Holland)
- Comb
- single
- Bantam size
- Available
- APA standard
- Recognized
- Purpose
- eggs, dual
Good for
- dark or speckled eggs
- beginners
- free-ranging
Watch out for
- single comb needs frostbite protection in freezing weather
- active birds, not a low-activity lap chicken
Looks and feathers
Partridge-pattern plumage; clean legs.
Our drawing shows the most common US variety; colours vary.
Similar breeds
All breedsSources
- 1Welsummer Day Old Chicks (product/breed profile)Meyer Hatchery
- 2Welsummers (product/breed profile)Cackle Hatchery
- 3Accepted Breeds & VarietiesAmerican Poultry Association
- 4Welsummer (breed page)My Pet Chicken
- 5Managing Chickens From Chicks to Peak Egg ProductionUtah State University Extension (J. Okoh, E. Perry; October 2025)
- 6Chicken Breeds & Varieties (A2880), incl. APA standard weightsUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension
Hatcheries often disagree on eggs a year; ranges span every source we read. How we check the facts.