The Welsummer is a Dutch breed prized for one thing above all: deep terracotta eggs, often speckled, among the darkest any backyard hen lays. The rooster's classic red-and-black partridge coloring is famous in its own right — it's the bird on the Kellogg's Corn Flakes box. They're calm, intelligent and good foragers, less prolific than a production hybrid but far more interesting in the egg basket. A great pick for anyone who wants a hardy, friendly layer with standout eggs.
Beginner friendly
Good with kids
Cold hardy
Heat tolerant
Broody
Egg colorDark Brown
Egg production160–200 / year
TemperamentDocile
BroodinessOccasional
ClimateCold hardy, Heat tolerant
PurposeEggs, Meat
Weight
Large fowl (Standard size)
Hen6 lb
Rooster7 lb
Bantam (Miniature size)
Hen1.9 lb
Rooster2.1 lb
How to spot it
CombSingle
Single comb, medium
Earlobes
Red
Legs & feet
Clean yellow legs, four toes
Plumage
Hens are rust-brown with a gold hackle and stippled partridge body; roosters carry the classic red, black and gold partridge pattern
Look for
The cockerel is the Corn Flakes rooster; hens show fine chestnut stippling and lay an unmistakably dark terracotta egg
Ancestry
How this breed was developed. Historical records, not crosses to make today.
Single
Olive Egger
