Welsummer

The Welsummer or Welsumer is a Dutch breed of domestic chicken. It originates in the small village of Welsum, in the eastern Netherlands. It was bred at the beginning of the twentieth 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. Some stock was exported to the United Kingdom, and the breed was added to the British Standard in 1930.

Welsummer

A Welsummer hen
Other names	Welsumer
Country of origin	Netherlands
Use	dual-purpose
Traits
Weight	Male: Standard: 2.75–3.25 kg[1] Bantam: to 1300 g[2] Female: Standard: 2.0–2.5 kg[1] Bantam: to 1000 g[2]
Skin colour	cream
Egg colour	dark brown
Comb type	single
Classification
APA	continental[3]
ABA	single comb, clean-legged
EE	yes[4]
PCGB	soft feather: light[5]
Chicken Gallus gallus domesticus

Bantam cock

Bantam hen

Characteristics

Three plumage colours are listed for the Welsumer by the Entente Européenne d’Aviculture et de Cuniculture, of which only one, Red Partridge, is recognised in the Netherlands.[4]

Use

Welsumer hens lay about 160 eggs per year; the eggs are dark brown and weigh about 65 grams.[1] Bantam Welsumers lay about 180 dark brown eggs per year, with an average weight of 47 g.[2]

References

1. Rassetafeln: Welsumer (in German). Bund Deutscher Rassegeflügelzüchter. Accessed September 2014.
2. Rassetafeln: Zwerg-Welsumer (in German). Bund Deutscher Rassegeflügelzüchter. Accessed September 2014.
3. APA Recognized Breeds and Varieties: As of January 1, 2012. American Poultry Association. Archived 4 November 2017.
4. Liste des races et variétés homologuée dans les pays EE (28.04.2013). Entente Européenne d’Aviculture et de Cuniculture. Archived 16 June 2013.
5. Breed Classification. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Archived 12 June 2018.