Welbar — Day-Old Chicks
Welbar — Day-Old ChicksNPIP Certified Hatchery - License #51-770
- 240 Eggs/Year
- Large Dark Brown Eggs
- 20–24 Weeks to Lay
Checking ship weeks…
Your chicks ship by USPS Priority Mail during the week you choose, in their own box with their own tracking.
See other ship weeks
A barred cousin of the Welsummer that lays rich, dark brown eggs. Welbars were developed in England in the 1940s from Welsummers and Barred Rocks, and they're autosexing — you can tell males from females at hatch.
Why backyard keepers love them:
- 🥚 About 240 dark brown eggs per year — large eggs from a strong layer
- 🔍 Autosexing — chicks can be sexed by color at hatch
- 🧸 Docile — friendly birds that are easy to keep
- ❄️ Cold hardy — handle winter well and tolerate heat
- 🌿 Active foragers — love to free-range
What to expect from your Welbar chicks:
Your Welbar chicks will grow into hens of about 6.5 lbs that look like barred Welsummers, while roosters (about 8 lbs) have a crele pattern. Marek's Disease vaccination is optional and is not included in the chick price. To vaccinate your chicks, check the Marek's vaccine box in your cart. Chicks are backed by our live arrival guarantee.
Weeks to first egg: about 20–24 weeks
Egg size: Large
Egg color: Dark brown
Eggs per year: about 240
Common questions about Welbar Chickens
What does autosexing mean?
Males and females hatch with different down patterns, so they can be told apart as chicks.
How many eggs a year?
About 240 large dark brown eggs.
Are they friendly?
Yes. They're docile.
Do they handle heat and cold?
They're cold hardy and tolerate heat well.
Pairs well with:
- Welsummer: the Welsummer from our farm
- Cream Legbar: blue eggs for contrast
Dark eggs from a friendly barred hen — reserve your Welbar chicks today.
Shipping and ordering
- The partner box ships at our regular chick rates, and it ships free when you also order 6 or more Chesapeake chicks to be shipped. Partner-hatched chicks aren't available for local pickup. To pick up your Chesapeake chicks, place a separate shipped order for partner-hatched chicks.
- Minimum order: 6 chicks total from our hatching partner. Mix and match any of our partner-hatched chicken and bantam breeds to reach the minimum, as long as they all ship the same week.
- Partner-hatched chicks ship in their own box, separately from our Chesapeake-hatched chicks, and the two don't count toward each other's minimums. If you order both, you'll receive separate boxes with separate tracking.
- Breeds and sexes are packed together and are not marked. If you need to tell birds apart, choose breeds that look different as chicks.
- Hatched by our hatching partner and shipped directly to you by USPS during the ship week you choose. Tracking is emailed to you once your chicks ship.
- Street address required (no P.O. boxes). Your post office will call when your chicks arrive.
- Live-arrival guarantee: if any chicks arrive deceased, email chicks@chesapeake-hatchery.com within 72 hours of delivery with your order number and the number of losses.
Breed specifications
Breed specifications
Production
Maturity
Temperament
Appearance
Adaptability
Chick care overview
Chick care overview
Brooder temperature: Start at 95°F for the first week, then lower it about 5°F each week until they're fully feathered.
Food & water: Offer chick starter feed and fresh water right away. Dip each chick's beak gently into the water on arrival to encourage drinking.
Space: Allow at least 0.5 sq ft per chick in the brooder for the first few weeks.
Watch for: Huddling under the heat source means they're too cold. Panting or moving away from the heat means they're too warm. Active, spread-out babies are comfortable.
For more care tips, visit our FAQs.
Shipping
Shipping
Hatched by our hatching partner and shipped directly to you by USPS Priority Mail during the ship week you choose. Tracking is emailed to you once your chicks ship.
Shipping rates
The partner box ships at our regular chick rates:
6–25 chicks — $34.95
26–50 chicks — $49.95
51–100 chicks — $59.95
The partner box ships FREE when you also order 6 or more Chesapeake chicks to be shipped.
Minimum order: 6 chicks total from our hatching partner. Mix and match any of our partner-hatched chicken and bantam breeds to reach the minimum, as long as they all ship the same week.
Partner-hatched chicks ship in their own box, separately from our Chesapeake-hatched chicks, with separate tracking. The two don't count toward each other's minimums.
Marek's vaccine available: $0.75 per chick, given at the hatchery before your chicks ship. Check the box in your cart.
Not available for local pickup. Street address required (no P.O. boxes). Your post office will call when your chicks arrive.
Ordering more than 100 chicks? Call us at (410) 635-1970.
Live-Arrival Guarantee
If any chicks arrive deceased, email chicks@chesapeake-hatchery.com within 72 hours of delivery with your order number and the number of losses.
