Argggggggggggg, want to order welsh harlequin's that are standard size

[spud1035]

I called Hoffman hatchery today to ask how much their Welsh Harlequins weigh when they mature and they said around 61/2#. Cackle Hatchery has the same deal, 61/2 to 7 #. I thought typical weight for em was around 41/2 to 5. I might get em for holderreads or sandhill, cause it looks like they are bred to be what I thought was the more typical size. I live in nw ohio so I don't have any experiences from gettin em all the way from california. I really desire a smaller, more typical size. Am I wrong here, or do many get that big?

 

[pirtykitty]

Mine from metzers don't seem to be really big or heavy.. but then they are only 8 months old..

 

[OhTisLove]

Mine from Metzers is a tiny little girl. I live in MA and she and her siblings got here perfectly fine from CA!

 

[Wifezilla]

I thought typical weight for em was around 41/2 to 5

The WH are going to be a little bigger than khakis. My khakis were 4-5 lbs. The WH look to be 6-7 (with the drake most likely 7). 2 of my WH are from Metzer and 2 are from Holderreads. They are about the same size.​

 

[1lpoock]

from Sandusky, Ohio! Sorry I can't answer your questions, but just wanted to say that I'm getting holderread's welsh harlequins this spring!

 

[CityChicker]

The WH in the US are, for the most part, not that small anymore. As Wifezilla said, they are usually bigger than Khaki Campbells. I had ten of them from Holderread's (some of which now reside with Wifezilla and Dances with Ducks). The smallest ones in the group were probably about 6-6.5 pounds. The larger ones in the group were quite large, probably in the 7.5 pound range. Based on what I have seen in WH, that is fairly typical anymore.

The original birds from decades ago *were* smaller, but the WH of today are from post "Whaylesbury" days. The Silver phase was originally created as a hybrid between the Welsh Harlequin and the much larger Aylesbury. The hybrid birds were then eventually bred back (by Leslie Bonnet as well) to the few remaining original descendants of the WH. The breeders that established the breed in the US simply bred for the larger bird and the two distinct color varieties.

 

[spud1035]

thanks guys for the reponses, I was just hoping for a little smaller bird that's all. Looks like I'll have to settle for em the 6-7 #range.

 

[spud1035]

Quote:
Hi 1lpoock, greetings here from maumee (kinda) ohio. Beautiful avatar, I'll have to get one up also. Just gettin into waterfowl and like the hardiness of em over my chicks.

 

[pirtykitty]

I think Webfoot has a small male WH she is working with.. Maybe she will post how thats going..

 

[spud1035]

I had my heart set on welsh harlequin's but I can't help but want ducks smaller than 5 lbs. I'm going to try some khaki campbell d/t size. Both seem like excellent ducks to have for the backyard keeper. Thanks for the imput everyone.