The Westfälische Totleger is a German landrace bred around Herford and Bielefeld in Westphalia, with ancestors documented since about 1800 and probably descended from a "Turkish hen" described in the 1600s. The English name "Deathlayer" is a mistranslation: Totleger grew out of the Low German form of Dauerleger, "steady layer". Hens lay about 180 to 200 pure-white eggs in their first year, are seldom broody, and shrug off rough weather. They are very lively, flighty birds, especially when young, and tireless foragers that want room to range. The breed is listed as seriously endangered in Germany and comes in gold and silver pencilled.
Cold hardy
Heat tolerant
Flighty
Egg colorWhite
Egg production180–200 / year
TemperamentFlighty
BroodinessRare
ClimateCold hardy, Heat tolerant
PurposeEggs, Show
Weight
Hen3.5–4.5 lb
Rooster4.5–5.5 lb
How to spot it
CombRose
Red rose comb
Earlobes
Small, white with a bluish tinge
Legs & feet
Clean blue-grey legs, four toes
Plumage
Finely pencilled, in gold or silver
Look for
A small, lively rose-combed bird with bluish-white earlobes, blue-grey legs and pencilled gold or silver feathering
Varieties
Gold
Silver
Find Westfalische Totleger (deathlayer) breeders near you
4 providers currently list Westfalische Totleger (deathlayer).
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