Post Pictures Of Metzer Welsh Harlequins!

I posted some photos on the Welsh thread yesterday, I have drakes from Holderread and decks from Metzer. They aren't totally feathered out yet. I bought from Metzer because they sexed and I needed females and don't care so much about show quality for this flock. Next year I'll purchase show quality from Holderread's for the kids' 4-H projects.
The drakes are now 9 weeks old, the rest are 5 weeks old as of today.

The one in the front-middle that has the dark head is the only one I'm not sure about - it looks like a drake, but it's my loudest quacker. Definitely doesn't sound like the drakes.

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Many of the birds that I have seen from Metzer are not welsh harlequins. They are snowy patterened ducks that are somewhere in the light duck class. I've even seen ones on here, from metzer stock that are obviously pied birds. If you want nice quality birds, order from Holderreads. You may not get all show quality ducklings, but in order to get "show quality" from Metzer, you would have to order a HUGE number of birds and cull very hard. Our original birds in 2000 came from Holderreads and then we added blood from other breeders. And now we have 21 new ducklings from Holderreads out in a wet brooder, so we can get some new replacements for some of the older birds. We've hatched dozens of them from year to year and I will say, we have had NONE that were not breed specific. We've had a few light colored bills and legs, but they've always been culled, and we've minimized the numbers that have that problem. Most of the WH's from Metzer don't even represent the breed. I also wonder how well their egg production and ability to free-range so wonderfully. You will not be dissapointed if you wait and order them next season. Good luck!

Our Reserve Champion Lt. Duck at the Crossroads National in 2006
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My Metzer girls are happy, healthy and great egg layers. The will NOT be winning any shows, however
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I ordered from Metzer because I only could have a few ducks and I needed to be sure they would be girls. Their low order minimum and sexing fit the bill. I do not regret ordering these goobers one bit. However, the feathering quality of the Holderread's ducks are superior. Now as far as intelligence goes, my Metzer duck Shelley is the smartest in the flock.

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Wendy

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Shelley

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Bebe (a hawk got her last year)

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Their baby picture (that's Shelley giving me the eyeball
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I knew she was going to be trouble right at that moment!)

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I think I might order from Holderread's IF my parents allow me to get any more animals which means I'll get them when I'm like 16.....HAHA.....another few years from that!!!!
 
Hi all,

I just placed an order for 10 WH from Metzer. Did I make a really bad mistake? Have they improved on their feather for WH at all?

Thoughts?

Thanks,
DesertSkyNM
 
This is funny. I'm cruising through the post and thinking "that's not what I'd want my WH to look like". Until I got to kswaterfowl's post and thought, "There you go. Those are nice WH."

Oh. They aren't Metzer birds, they are based upon Holderread bloodlines.

Without knowing that the birds were from different hatcheries, I picked the Holderread birds right out of the line up.
 
I got my 4 WH from Metzer and they were happy and healthy. Now their 1 month and almost as big as my mallards
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thats with a lot of the stuff. cruising through hunting clothes... the things that catch my eye are my whole account:P
 
I got 4 welsh harlequins from metzer farms, and two rouen and they are very healthy, funny little duckies! I love them though!
 

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