Welsh Harlequin

[chickkrzi]

Received my 4 ducklings from chickens for backyard this morning but I think at least one of them is a drake, can someone tell me what you think..... I'm pretty sure this one here is male, he's a lot darker and has a full black beak..... This one here i think is a drake but feel it could go either way..... Ok fellow Welsh Harlequin owners what do you think?

Kinda hard to tell both look a little dark. My hens bill will stay pinkish for at least 1 1/2. Weeks. Pic has hen in foreground, Drake in back

 

[Zombified]

This is my gold phase, Eris. She's sitting on lots of eggs! I took out all that weren't developing and she's still on about fifteen.

 

[Kimarie411]

She's so pretty

 

[Zombified]

Thank you. I hope she passes on that beauty to her babies.

 

[GentFarmer]

Received my 4 ducklings from chickens for backyard this morning but I think at least one of them is a drake, can someone tell me what you think.....

I'm pretty sure this one here is male, he's a lot darker and has a full black beak.....



This one here i think is a drake but feel it could go either way.....





Ok fellow Welsh Harlequin owners what do you think??

I might be mistaken, but WH drakes shouldn't have black bills.

 

[Zombified]

I might be mistaken, but WH drakes shouldn't have black bills. 

To semi-accurately sex Welsh Harlequin ducklings, you look at bill color. Pink means girl, black means boy. It's only about 90% accurate in most flocks, though. Holderreads is the only hatchery I know of that's more than 90% accurate. A couple breeders from here are more accurate than that, too. Out of my four WHs, only one's gender didn't match up with her bill color.

 

[subhanalah]

To semi-accurately sex Welsh Harlequin ducklings, you look at bill color. Pink means girl, black means boy. It's only about 90% accurate in most flocks, though. Holderreads is the only hatchery I know of that's more than 90% accurate. A couple breeders from here are more accurate than that, too. Out of my four WHs, only one's gender didn't match up with her bill color.

I would like to add, that after the first few days, it is no longer accurate.

 

[Zombified]

Oh yeah, it really only works for day- or two-day-olds.

 

[GentFarmer]

Yes, for sexing day-olds.

I was thinking, though, of adult drakes, whose bills and feet are yellow, compared with hens, who are black/black. Please do correct me if I'm wrong.

Mine are at 6 weeks at this point, and it's still not certain if I have 2 or 3 drakes out of my batch of 10. I'll be processing a few here in a couple weeks, and am only keeping one drake.

 

[subhanalah]

Yes, for sexing day-olds. 

I was thinking, though, of adult drakes, whose bills and feet are yellow, compared with hens, who are black/black. Please do correct me if I'm wrong. 

Mine are at 6 weeks at this point, and it's still not certain if I have 2 or 3 drakes out of my batch of 10. I'll be processing a few here in a couple weeks, and am only keeping one drake. 

is there a reason you would keep so few drakes? 3-4 ducks per drake is a perfect ratio.