Day Old Welsummer Bantams
Chicks hatching February to October.
Welsummer Bantam Chickens have been known as layers of large eggs since their popularity began to rise at the turn of the 20th century. With a Welsummer Bantam you get a small chicken that lays a large egg. They are both docile and beautiful.
Production: Welsummer Bantams are considered fair producers of relatively large, dark brown eggs. Sometimes the eggs are speckled.
Temperament: This breed of chicken is docile, and are excellent foragers.
History: Standard Welsummers originated in Holland, in a village called Welssum. The chickens that made up the ancestors of the original Welsummers were most likely Rhode Island Reds, Barnevelders, Partridge Leghorns, Cochins and Wyandottes. Eventually, the breed began to show consistency and a standard was developed.
The breed was known for laying large, dark brown, sometimes speckled eggs. At first, the only Welsummers were in Holland, but eventually English breeders began to purchase stock for breeding and the Welsummers' popularity began to spread.
Welsummer Bantams came later, in the 1940s and 50s. For the first few years, the standard for Welsummer Bantams in England was not particularly useful for the development of the breed, but was later adjusted. The biggest difference between Standard Welsummers and Bantams, aside from their size, is that the Bantams hold their tail feathers in a more upright position.
Currently, Welsummer Bantams are popular at poultry shows and make great additions to backyard flocks.
Colors: Welsummers, both Standard and Bantam, have the same coloring. Males are dark brown to reddish. The rooster that appears on the Kellog's cereal box is a Welsummer. Females are a slightly lighter, less red brown, with golden feathers on their necks.
Status: American Livestock Breeds Conservancy Conservation Status: Not Listed, these birds are not rare and are relatively easy to procure.
Body Type: Welsummers Bantams are small, like all bantams and their body shape is deep and broad, with legs set well apart and four toes per foot.
Standard Weight: male: 34 oz, female 30 oz
Classification: American Poultry Association Class: Single Comb Clean Legged Bantams
This product was added to our catalog on Monday 18 July, 2011.
