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Welsummer is a chicken breed originally from the small village of Welsum, in the eastern Netherlands.
It was bred at the beginning of the 20th century from local fowls of mixed origin: Rhode Island Reds, Barnevelders, Partridge Leghorns, Cochins, and Wyandottes. In 1922-23 steps were taken to fix a standard after the birds began to show a good deal of uniformity. The eggs were originally exported for the commercial egg trade where they were an instant hit. Soon after stock was imported into England. The breed was added to the British Standard in 1930, and the jungle fowl is the closet relative the Welsummer.
It is a light, docile breed, with rustic-red and orange color. Representations of cockerels in the media are often based upon the "classic" Welsummer look. The eggs of the Welsummer are a very dark-brown and spotty. There are three variations of the standard Welsummer, these are the Partrige, Silver Duckwing and the Gold Duckwing. There is also a Bantam Welsummer breed which is similar but lays light brown eggs. Bantams exist in both Partrige and Silver Duckwing colours. The Welsummer hens usually have gold hair-like feathers on their necks, as the cocks have a rusty-red on their necks.
Similar Breeds[]
Welsummers bear a striking resemblance to the Single Comb Brown Leghorn, and are often confused with them. The only noticeable difference is the color of the earflaps and the color of the eggs. In the leghorn, both are white, while in the Welsummer, the eggs are a deep brown, and the earflaps are red. Brown leghorn hens also usually have large combs that flop over.