Male or Female Welsh Harlequins?

[gottsegnet]

I had 11 ducklings from Holderreads, 6 females and 5 males (I thought from bill color upon arrival) but a rat killed most of them. I have five survivors and am trying to figure out the sex. I thought I had two males (the smaller ones) due to the darkening of the necks, but the bills seem a lot darker than most of the pictures I have seen. Are they male? Or did I end up with only females surviving?



Thanks!

 

[kiwichiks]

@gottsegnet I don't know if you're still around on this forum, but I'd love to hear what sexes your duckies pictured above eventually were. We have a single Welsh Harlequin that is 6 weeks old and still peeps. She started 'accidently' honking a bit, while she preened a couple of weeks ago, but this has disappeared and now she doesn't really say anything except for peeping. Her Magpie duck sister of the same age has a VERY loud female quack, so we know what she is for sure. We really hope our Daisy is also a girl, but I'm now starting to have doubts... Pics of her below:

 

[gottsegnet]

I've never actually seen a rat, but their little bills and feet were chewed off and then my husband found the tunnel. We tore everything open so there wasn't such a protected path to the henhouse and haven't had any problems since.

They do have different voices, but I haven't heard that raspy quack yet. The larger ones definitely quack, but the two smaller ones are still peeping.

I hadn't seen any sort of rodents for the longest time since getting our guinea fowl. We closed off half the henhouse to make a nursery for the ducklings, goslings and chicks and then this happened. I think I'm going to redo my plans to involve cages off the floor but open it back up so that the guinea fowl can patrol the entire henhouse.

 

[Tahai]

Hi!

Feather and bill color don't mean much at this stage of the game. I have 13 WH from Holderreads, almost 9 weeks old, and my darkest breasted duck is definitely a female. She has a quack that will knock your hat off. Also, I have a fairly dark breasted duck with a bright yellow bill - also definitely female. And a relatively pale breasted gold phase drake with a black bill.

Bill color does not change into boy/girl colors until the laying/mating hormones kick in.

Going by color, you won't know for sure until they get their nuptial plumage at 4-5 months. Drake feathers come in anywhere from 12 -16 weeks, going by the experiences of people here on the forum.

Do you plan to hatch eggs this next spring, is that why you need a drake right away?

Best Wishes,

Tahai

 

[larkflying]

If you keep listening to their voices -- that is a sure thing. I'd say if the three have a quack, and the two don't by now, then you are probably right that you have 2 boys and 3 girls. But, another few weeks will tell for sure. I was so new to Welsh Harlequins last year, that I thought the hatchery had crossed them with Khaki Campbell accidentally -- till I learned there were Silver and Gold phases . . .silly me!

 

[kiwichiks]

This is a better pic of all four

Hi there, I'm pretty certain that your darker ducklings are not Welsh Harlequins due to their colouring (very sweet babies though!). Welshes are much lighter at this age and have quite distinctive markings. Perhaps someone else can suggest what you might have. The duckling that honks is almost definitely a female (if this continues) but you might have to wait a bit to find out what the others are. Most females will have started honking or quacking by 10 weeks.

 

[The Duck Ladie]

Keep listening! Boy's voice sound like a whisper while girls QUACK.

 

[shellywelly]

Ok so I did some goggling and here is what I found

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So now I'm thinking Campbell's witch is ok but wow why would some one tell me welches pure bread and find out later they r not just saddens me

 

[kiwichiks]

Yes, that's not right - especially if you've paid for them. I would think that you'd be within your rights to return them as you haven't got what you paid for (not that you would - they're still very sweet!). Might be worth raising the issue with the seller at some stage though...

 

[melnut]

male or female please!