Welsh Harlequin

[DuckGirl77]

I have 2 Welsh Harlequin females who are approximately 6 months old. I've seen them mating with the males for at least a month. When should they lay and is there something to look for when they're getting ready?

They could start laying any day! Mating is a sign, I thiiiink.

 

[HeatherD42]

If they're mating, they're sexually mature, but unless you've been adding light, you may not get any eggs until early spring. I've never had any new ducks begin laying in the fall

 

[neetabeamie]

Douse the color of the Welsh ducks bill mean anything ( when they are older)
I think I have three silver fazed ducks. Except one has a orange bill and the other two have dark bills.
What do you think?

 

[neetabeamie]

 

[Zombified]

Douse the color of the Welsh ducks bill mean anything ( when they are older)
I think I have three silver fazed ducks. Except one has a orange bill and the other two have dark bills.
What do you think?

Hi Neetabeamie!

The color of the bill doesn't indicate the color of the bird. It can indicate gender, however, or it can simply be a "fault" if you show. To tell the color of a Welsh Harlequin, you look at the wing bar - the solid colored part on their wings. If it's a blue/green, the color is "silver phase." If it's a bronze/brown/gold color, the color is "gold phase."

These birds have passed now, but this is an example of a gold phase:



And this is a silver phase:



Not great pictures, I apologize, but do you see how one has a brown wing bar, and the other has a blue wing bar?

Do you have any pictures?

 

[Zombified]

Okay, just realized you did post pictures. Those both look like silver phase females.

 

[neetabeamie]

Is my Welsh up to standard?

 

[DancingWthDucks]

Is my Welsh up to standard?

She shouldn't have eye stripes or orange feet (should be dark) but she's still beautiful One of my ducks Lottie isn't the best 'standard' but she's still a really gorgeous, characterful girl.

 

[neetabeamie]

She shouldn't have eye stripes or orange feet (should be dark) but she's still beautiful One of my ducks Lottie isn't the best 'standard' but she's still a really gorgeous, characterful girl.

How long dose it take for there feet to turn dark? My ducks are only about three and a half months old.

 

[mjamell]

1 of them started laying the next day after I posted and the other about a week later. I guess I'm lucky!