Everyone knows the typical white or brown-colored chicken eggs.
But, not everyone has seen the amazing, dark brown, terracotta-colored eggs of Welsummer chickens.
These loveable fluffy-butts, the Welsummer chickens, are highly reliable in delivering these stunning, dark brown eggs — highly sought after for those that love a colorful egg basket!
But that’s not all they’re good for.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Welsummer chicken’s egg-laying, temperament, and general chickenness.
Contents
A Brief Welsummer History
What good is raising Welsummer chooks if you can’t boast to others about their history and significance in poultry farming?
Without going overboard, you can tell everyone that these beautiful chickens originate from a small village in the Netherlands, called Welsum (hence the name) – dating back as early as the 1920s.
As for their significance? Well, they were one of the most reliable chickens to lay such spectacular dark brown, terracotta-colored eggs (with a higher tendency to be speckled).
Since then, the Welsummer chicken has proven to be a hardy, adaptable, and well-rounded chicken.
Welsummer Chickens Egg Characteristics Summary
Alright, let’s dive into the main question on every chicken raiser’s mind – the egg-laying capabilities of the Welsummer!
Here are the notable characteristics in the egg-laying of Welsummer chickens:
- Egg Size: Large
- Egg Color: Dark brown (with a high tendency to be speckled)
- Egg Production: Medium/An average of 160-200 per year
When Do Welsummer Chickens Start Laying?
Patience is something all new chickens are forced to exercise. After all, in the vast majority of chicken breeds, the hens can take between 5-7 months to start laying.
Although Welsummer’s aren’t so different, they do tend to lay quicker than many others.
You can expect your Welsummer hens to lay as early as 20 weeks old and normally before 24 weeks old. Of course, this can vary from hen to hen, and other factors such as time of year/climate, diet, and environment can play a part too!
How Many Eggs Do Welsummer Chickens Lay Per Year?
If you’re looking for a chicken that’ll pay its rent in eggs – then you Welsummers will be the perfect tenant for your backyard.
For a heritage breed, Welsummers are well regarded as good egg-layers.
On average, every Welsummer hen will lay around 160-200 eggs per year. There are those that excel and will even lay up to 250 eggs per year, but it’s not considered the norm for these chooks.
When Do Welsummer Chickens Stop Laying Eggs?
To bring it full circle, it’s always good to understand the actual egg-laying span of your chooks.
After all, if you’re going to raise them for years you want to know you’re going to still be able to enjoy their delicious eggs, right?
The good news, Welsummer hens aren’t quick to retire.
Here’s how many eggs you can expect from your Welsummer hens depending on their age (as an average):
- From 6 Months – 1.5 Years Old: 4-5 per week.
- From 1.5 Years – 2.5 Years Old: 4 per week
- From 2.5 Years – 3.5 Years Old – 3 – 4 per week
- From 3.5 Years – 5 Years Old: 2 – 3 eggs per week
- From 5 – 7 Years Old: 1-2 eggs per week (but very sporadic).
Although you may still get eggs from your older (5 – 7+) year-old Welsummer hens, they often come much more sporadically, less reliably, and some hens pretty much stop laying altogether.
The Gentle Docile Temperament of Welsummer Chickens
Good, constant egg production is great and all, but every chicken owner wants to be able to genuinely connect with their chickens (or at least we do!).
Luckily, Welsummer chickens have a high tendency to be docile, friendly, and quiet. They’re perfect for raising around young children and even in urban or suburban settings.
How Long Do Welsummer Chickens Live For?
Like most large heritage chicken breeds, Welsummer chickens tend to live from about 7 – 9 years old.
Of course, this can highly vary depending on their overall diet, environment, and climate – also assuming they remain strong and healthy.
Honestly, we wish they lived just a little longer, but it’s simply a part of life!
Spend as much time as possible with your chickens, that’s my motto.
Are Welsummer Roosters Aggressive?
It’s a funny question “Are X rooster breeds aggressive?”. Why? Well, so much can come down to the individual rooster.
Believe me, we’ve had some pretty docile roosters, but also some pretty aggressive ones too (these ones didn’t last long if you get my drift).
As for Welsummer roosters, they have a tendency to be much more docile and friendly, compared to many other breeds. But, there’s always a chance your rooster will be a bit more territorial, controlling, or even aggressive.
That’s All For Welsummers!
I hope we’ve convinced you that Welsummers are well-worth raising, for all their egg-laying capabilities, friendly personalities, and genuine companionship.
Welsummer chickens will pretty reliably lay about 160-200 large eggs per year, usually being a lovely dark brown, to terracotta color (which really stands out in the egg basket!).
You won’t need to wait longer than about 5 – 6 months for each hen to start laying, any roosters will generally be docile and friendly, and Welsummer’s, in general, are easy-going, hardy, and overall 100% loveable.
Happy chicken farming, everyone!