Welsummer

my welsummer that passed away was a very nice bird, she wasn't skittish or flighty, but she was more shy and kept to herself. very nice to other chickens. she was very big, had stocky legs and a big build in general.
R.I.P. Puddles.

I currently own 5 Welsummers and they all were not too mean to the others. I personally enjoy their temperament. Its great that they are easier to sex as well. I have only owned girls, so I am not sure about their crowing, but I could say that crowing does not really effect me much and Welsummer roosters are gorgeous.

I’ve had 2 Welsummers. One was named Seoirse, who unfortunately passed away in a coyote attack last summer. She was very sweet and laid the most gorgeous eggs.

This year I bought another Welsummer. Her name is Luna, and she’s the most friendly of them all. So far she’s 9 weeks old. I just absolutely love them! (Pictures are of Luna)

Recommended for all ages, ranges of experience chicken keepers!

I have 5 welsummers 3 hens and 2 roosters, mine lay medium/large eggs every other day through the summer, the roosters are great protection for my flock, but crow alot and are loud. Hens are also very chatty. They get along well with my other breeds and young children.

I love my Welsummer. She stands out from the flock with her gold and brown feathers gleaming in the sun. She also lays pretty eggs that literally look like chocolates. However, she can be bully to some of the other chickens but isn't that mean.

Welsummers have charmingly good old fashioned looks, and I prefer their brown speckled eggs over blue, chocolate and green eggs for their looks.
The only problem I've come across is that the roosters often are sickly and the points freeze off of their combs. The hens don't have this issue.
I thought that one rooster that I had was quite hilarious because he would scream like a little girl when picked up. (This caused embarrassment at a swap when he escaped the cage. When caught, everyone could here his scream.)

I used to keep Welsummers, and would gladly keep them again. Even the roosters. Complete eye candy! And the hens were lovely and sweet. The eggs were the real draw though, rich dark brown, some were even spotted. That was cool.

Highly recommended.

I've had my Welsummer for about 18 months now and really enjoy her. She's chatty and announces to the rest of the flock when I'm coming with treats. She's been a terrific egg layer and the eggs are beautiful. She gets along well with the Cream Legbars and Sapphire that make up the rest of the flock.

I chose Welsummers for a couple of reasons. The primary reason was their heat tolerance since it get upwards of 112 degrees during summer here in Redding, California. They are smaller but still robust enough for meat, although we're only raising ours for eggs. I love their auburn coloring, and the roosters are beautiful.

We got our Welsummers from a local feed store, who in turn ordered them from a huge hatchery in Arizona. I would have preferred getting them from a Wellie breeder, but that wasn't an option at the time. If you want dark chocolate, speckled eggs true to the breed, order your chicks from an established breeder.

But we adore our flock. They're all Welsummers and get along nicely. Our hen Gertrude went broody earlier this summer and sat on several eggs during the heat. I won't let her sit on eggs after May anymore just to be safe, but was great throughout the three weeks. Very loyal to her clutch and protective, but not mean, and of the five that hatched out, she has been incredibly attentive. They're about three weeks old now and she's still fluffed up and clucking like a proper broody hen, and she takes wonderful care of them.

As for size, Gertrude is a very large Welsummer, and our hen Rosie is the smallest, and yet they both are good layers with eggs that are nearly the same size. The hens used to jump on my back whenever I'd kneel down, but now they're too heavy for that. But with the chicks every time I kneel down I'm covered in them. They also run to me every time I approach their yard.

And Henry the Rooster, well, he's my buddy. I adore him and can't imagine not having a rooster. I've been very happy with my Welsummers. I gave them four stars only because I thought they'd lay eggs throughout winter, as I've read elsewhere online. It's possible they will this winter and that their age and/or molting were why they stopped, so I'll be sure to come back here and update my review.

Oh, and I meant to say: eight of the ten eggs in Gertrude's clutch were fertile. Henry's a stud muffin!

I hope this was helpful. Cheers.

I tried 3 hatchings of welsummers and ended up with 3 hens & 5 roosters.
2 hens got killed by wild animals within the year - my other birds are good at escaping predators so dont have this problem.

They make beautiful garden or protected farmyard chooks but they're not well suited to wilder areas.

They're smart and gentle but quite cumbersome - being heavier than most laying birds i've experienced. They produce more meat than other laying birds and good lean meat to.

since they have a gentle, quiet and relaxed manner, they'd be perfect companions to other livestock. esp cows, who its best not to spook and would offer them protection during the day from predators.
they were slow to mature and start laying and very quick to stop laying when nutrients ran a bit short in winter - I see this as a good sign that they prioritise keeping themselves healthy over laying themselves to death.

This was the first breed I hatched. I love the color of the hens and eggs. They are nice and sweet

When we first got our flock, we had multiple breeds for variety. While they are an attractive bird, and have had great temperament (two hens), I noticed that they are not great layers beyond the summer season. They were typically the first to stop laying eggs when the fall season came around. I'd say I could get eggs consistently maybe 5-6 months out of the year with my Welsummers?

The only ones that lay year round (without the aid of artificial light in the winter) were my Barred Rock and Rhode Island Reds.

I really enjoy having them join my flock. They are so shy and sweet. They are very alert and let the rest of the flock know when something is not right.

Of the four hens and 1 rooster I have in my mixed flock they all have a great temperament. My rooster at 20 weeks is already alerting to danger and caring for the flock. He is not aggressive either like some of my other roosters of the same age. Then hens are very well tempered and are able to handle my mixed flock that contains hens that range in age from 3 years to 20 weeks. They love people so be prepared for hens that will run to you for attention. Eggs in my older Welsummers are beautiful in color ranging from mid brown with spots to light brown with spots. The are a breed that will always remain in my mixed flock.

My experience with Welsummers have been great!

PROS:

She is very pretty. I love her golden nape (back of neck) feathers.

Her eggs are amazing! I love their dark color! She is a consistent and reliable layer.

She is very predator-aware and free-ranges well. She always stays with the group, but is less inclined to stray from cover.

She is hard to catch, but is extremely docile once in my arms. She never tries to flap away, like my other girls do when restrained.


CONS:
Mine screams! She is stupendously loud EVERY morning.

She is really difficult to catch, which can be a pro with predators.


Consensus: I would recommend her for any free-ranging flock

My Welsummer has been top hen from day one, even keeping our young cockerel in line when I first introduced him. She lays well, though not as often as my EE's. I still get 3-4 eggs a week from her, all lovely brown. What she lacks in laying power she makes up for in smarts. If something is wrong she will come over to the porch and cluck under the dining room window until I'm summoned. We once had a couple pullets go missing, and try as we might we could not find them. She led me over to where their bodies were in a neighbor's yard behind a big maple tree by camping there, and clucking angrily until I came looking for her. She didn't budge from the spot for anything, even treats, until I walked over to have a look at why she was so upset. Welsummers in general tend to be stand-offish, but my Rosie is the boldest girl in my mixed flock, and while she doesn't seek out petting or attention most of the time, she's okay with being picked up. She will also ask to be picked up and carried if its very snowy or wet between where she is and where she wants to go (but doesn't stick around once I get her across). If you want a decent layer with pretty eggs and a big personality, the Welsummer is definitely the bird for your flock!

When searching for dark egg layers, I've heard many people are disappointed with hatchery chicks. I have to admit tgat I was concerned waiting for my first Welsummer egg. These eggs are certainly not chocolate or particularly dark, but they are darker than my other brown egg layers with tiny speckles. I have been happy with the four or five, terra cotta eggs a week. This hen is not friendly, but she's not aggressive or mean either. She's a nice bird all around.

The reason I only have one is that Murray McMurray only offers them straight run. I got four cockerels and three hens. Two hens and one cockerel all died as chicks from an impacted crop. I find that suspect. I normally make out well with MM. Maybe a bad batch? It would have been better if I didn't have to go straight run. Oh well. I'll probably order more anyway.

My only Welsummer came from a hatchery. She arrived by mail in poor shape and was very undersized. She pulled through with extra attention but was stunted for many months. However, she eventually caught up and matured to a normal 4-5 lbs. She is among my sweetest birds in a mixed flock of half-dozen-plus other breeds and does well with others. She is always quiet and calm. She lays beautiful terracotta eggs that seem large for her size, so she is likely good for feed efficiency. I wish I had more Welsummers and will be including them in future additions. After molting last fall, she has resumed her second season of laying in mid-January, ahead of most of my other layers. She has been fine in heat and cold.

I cared for a flock of chickens (varied breeds) at my last job, and the welsummer and I had a longstanding feud. Despite all attempts to socialize or bribe her, no matter how much time or how many treats, she did NOT like people and was always the last to be put away because while the others usually cooperated and went into the run when I started rounding them up, miss Poorwinter (yes, we're extremely original) was just as contrary as her name and would run off every which direction, screaming bloody murder and acting generally like an idiot. Her eggs were a pretty medium brown with speckles (they were no where near chocolate, not even at POL, and she was not from hatchery stock), and in summer she laid about 3-4 a week, winter she slowed to 1-2. When I was planning my home flock, I intentionally left out the welsummers. It may just have been my particular hen's personality, but she was such a frustrating bird that I didn't feel the pros outweighed the cons. She also was an aggressive forager and ripped the landscape to shreds, which is fine if you've just got pastures, but for a backyard flock she'd be a nightmare. When planning for dark, pretty eggs, I chose a golden cuckoo marans for the rich browns instead-- much better experience.