debating between khakis and welsh harlequin

[Stoney Meadow Maple]

cruising around on the interweb today I found a flock of 5 khaki hens for sale and also a number of welsh harlequin very locally. I really don't want 5 but have a friend who would take a couple...though I feel bad breaking up a flock, I also know they would be going to a good home. any thoughts on which to get? seems like the welsh were derived from the Khaki anyway, so would there be an advantage one way or another? the welsh are anywhere from 9 mos-3 years and the khaki are year old... egg laying is a desired benefit, but they are pets so whatever their production is is fine.. they won't be going anywhere when the eggs drop off.
any thoughts on the matter?

 

[KaleIAm]

I've had two welsh and two khakis. I've loved them all.

My welsh pros: Cuter, friendlier
My welsh cons: less healthy, shout quacking all day!!

My khaki pros: Way healthier than all my other ducks. Smarter than my other ducks. Sweeter than my other ducks.
My khaki cons: Not as friendly or sparkly looking.

 

[Draconias]

Funny to see this post. We are buying both breeds in a few hours. 7 welch Harlequin ducklings and 7 Khaki Campbell ducklings, so in our case, we didn't have to choose
Ron

 

[Draconias]

Here is our duckling Horde, consisting of 7 Welsh Harlequins and 9 Khaki Campbells.

 

[fatty and friends]

my ducks are just pets too (we don’t even eat the eggs, we feed them back to the girls) and i have khakis. they are super sweet and love to go on adventures, they are also a smaller breed of duck so no health issues like my pekin tend to have - here’s some pics of scout (khaki hen) and latte (khaki drake)

by the way - friendliness is about how you treat them, no breed is friendlier than another. my 5 ducks (pekins, khakis, and rouen) are all treated like my babies, and are all beyond friendly and act like puppies

 

[SolarDuck]

Haha I would go for Welsh but that's really just because I think they are a little cuter

 

[cheezenkwackers]

My Welsh lays bigger eggs but not as many as my Khaki. My Welsh (I only have 1) is much loader but calmer than my Khakis. I would lean toward the Khaki flick just because they already have the pecking order worked out.

 

[Stoney Meadow Maple]

we made it home with them, I gave 4 to my friend who has some khakis right now, and ours are getting to know our other 8, they need names, these may or may not be good breed standard examples but I think they are quite lovely and am very happy.. they are a tad larger than I expected them to be but the kid that was raising them locally had them in a very nice coop and they were very clean, free range with a pond, I think in future I will go back to him for more.

 

[Stoney Meadow Maple]

yeah, I really wasn't thinking about this this morning... my 8 get along pretty well, but I figure more hens wouldn't disrupt that too badly.....

 

[Everose]

I LOVED my welshies, they're supposed to be more docile than khakis. Though it must be noted that I haven't had any khakis (didn't think they were worth my time, I need a broody and friendly duck). But like fatty and friends said it's all about how you treat them. Welshies are prettier in my opinion, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The welshies are older and will probably slack sooner, khakis are known for being flighty so they will be interrupted more often. But both breeds will lay lots of eggs. Personally I would go with the welshies, they are rarer and if you end up not liking them someone will snatch them up in a heartbeat. Also if you decide to hatch babies (from good parentage) you will be contributing to the breeds' growth and popularity. Whatever your choice you are likely going to be super happy, ducks are the best birds for pets EVER!