Hey all! This is my 4th year raising silver Welsh harlequins, 3rd breeding. I feel that I have a well established flock now (6 hens and a drake) that I can start breeding for show. I have never shown birds before and want to start with my Welshies. Now I have a copy of the WH SOP but without really understanding show dynamics it reads like stero instructions. I'm hoping someone here can help me, answer some questions, and let me know if I'm on the right track.
So I got a new drake last year. I was told he comes from Holderread farms. He is the only drake I am using. So far the bill color sexing on the ducks has been phenomenal. 100% accurate (I can vent sex too) I only kept 2 of the first hatch, picked the largest and the lightest billed female and darkest billed male. I do not know which hen they came from. Is it possible to tell if the color and body shape looks good? I feel like In the female the black markings on her feathers are not clean cut. Not sure if that means anything. How old dose a duck have to be in order to know if they make the cut? These are only the first ducks im growing out. I have 11 more and more in the incubator. Thanks
Female
Male
So I got a new drake last year. I was told he comes from Holderread farms. He is the only drake I am using. So far the bill color sexing on the ducks has been phenomenal. 100% accurate (I can vent sex too) I only kept 2 of the first hatch, picked the largest and the lightest billed female and darkest billed male. I do not know which hen they came from. Is it possible to tell if the color and body shape looks good? I feel like In the female the black markings on her feathers are not clean cut. Not sure if that means anything. How old dose a duck have to be in order to know if they make the cut? These are only the first ducks im growing out. I have 11 more and more in the incubator. Thanks
Female
Male