Welsummer

Overview

The Welsummer is the breed behind two icons: Cornelius the Kellogg's Corn Flakes rooster, and the speckled terracotta eggs that egg-basket enthusiasts covet almost as much as Marans chocolate. Developed in the Dutch village of Welsum in the early 1900s, these birds have classic 'storybook chicken' looks — hens in rich partridge browns with golden hackles, roosters straight off a cereal box.

Their eggs are the main event: a deep terracotta-red base, usually finished with darker speckles, and matte rather than glossy like a Marans egg. Each hen lays her own signature pattern, some heavily speckled, some nearly solid. Production is a respectable 180 or so per year, though like other dark-egg breeds the color lightens as the laying season wears on.

Welsummers are smart, active birds and truly excellent foragers — turn them loose and they'll find a meaningful share of their own food. They're friendly and rarely aggressive but are more independent than cuddly; they'd rather patrol the yard with you than sit on your lap. They handle cold well, though large single combs can take frostbite in brutal climates. For a beautiful bird laying the prettiest eggs in the coop, the Welsummer is hard to top.