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Your post didn't mention whether the woman you got your birds from was a breeder and offspring of her breeding or whether they were birds she had and sold to you. If they were birds she had and sold to you, I can assure you that the birds' did not develop a new personality just because of the move. She would have had to experience the same thing you are and therefore it is either a case of her definition of "extremely skittish" being different than yours or outright deception.
If they are the result of her breeding, then I would ask about the temperament of her rooster as well as some other questions about what she looks for in the birds she breeds. My suspicion is that her birds are hatchery birds or the offspring of hatchery birds and therefore no selective breeding has been done. It's been a long time since I've had any hatchery Welsummres and while I know personality wasn't the main reason I got rid of all of them, I think it may have been in the case of a bird or two.
I would not call any of my Welsummers overly friendly. For example, I've never had a Welsummer fly up and land on my shoulder like I have some of my Ameraucanas. Having said that, I also would definitely NOT call them "overly skittish" or "flighty". Again, just a guess, but my suspicion is that there may be some Leghorn in their background somewhere. I am not a Leghorn breeder nor am I very knowledgeable at all about the breed, so it is not my intent to offend any Leghorn fanciers out there but from the limited exposure I've had to them, they are a very flighty and skittish bird.
All of my Welsummers tolerate my presence just fine. Males and females. I have specifically culled for any aggression in my males and have never had a problem seeing any aggression in my females. In has been at least three years since I've seen any kind of overly aggressiveness in any of my birds. That's not to say I won't see one reach out and whop another bird on the head at roosting time but that is the extent of it. My birds easily tolerate my presence around them as I do my chores and walk amongtst them to look them over and make my picks. They get a little excited if I pick them up off the roost but it doesn't take very long for them to settle down at all. And it must be noted that I simply do not get to handle my birds as often as I'd like to. When I take them to a show, they are just fine. Quite the contrary to some birds I've seen which almost literally kill themselves trying to escape.
I would suggest selling the birds to someone who doesn't mind them being "extremely skitty". Maybe someone who doesn't plan to spend much time with them either and just likes the dark eggs. Then seek out a good breeder, ask a lot of questions, and try your hand again with some different Wellies!
God Bless,
