Happy Chooks Welsummers

I live in Northern California and breed welsummers, so I thought I would make a page dedicated to them. 

Welsummers are gentle, curious, and friendly chickens - but they are not lap chickens.  My rooster, Moose, is a fantastic protector, great with babies, and easy on the hens backs.  He doesn't allow the older hens to fight with new pullets in the flock.  My hens are very curious and friendly - they often get under my feet.  They lay nicely colored, terra cotta eggs.  As with Marans, welsummer egg color can vary in shade and does tend to fade as the hen is reaching the end of her laying cycle.  Terra cotta is the desired color, with or without speckles.

My rooster, Moose, at 6 months old:

And more current pictures of him:

And some of my hen's/pullets and some offspring:

Here is the newest pullet added to my flock from another breeder.  She has some wonderful qualities I'm hoping to add to my flock.

And the eggs.  Believe it or not, terra cotta eggs are hard to photograph:

In full sun - welsummers left (from 1 hen laying at the time), barnevelder eggs right: