Silver Phase Welsh Harlequins wanted!!

[gwenirish11]

I bought 3 Harlequin hens from Metzers and they are about 5 weeks old. One of them still has a yellow bill does not look standard to the breed and the other looks very dark! I think only one of them will come out looking somewhat right. I do love these girls and will keep them on for eggs but would like to add one more lady and a drake to the flock. I want the drake and hen to be show quality. I will be breeding them and my son wants to try to show them when 4H comes around. If anyone can help me out with finding good quality harlequins that would be great!! I am in Michigan and have been having the hardest time finding a few good harlequins....I have already been trying to find someone to go in on some ducklings from holderreads show quality stock...so far no luck Any help would be much appreciated!!!

Below are the three ladies I got from Metzers...I would also like input on them if anyone has it. There are three welshies the all dark one is obviously not I love them they are all so sweet so guess I just may need more for my original purpose.

 

[kswaterfowl]

Do they all quack because the two with reddish breasts look like drakes IMO. We sell hatching eggs and will have started birds available soon, but the eggs we can ship birds are pick up only. Our blog has several pictures on it if you follow the link in our signature. I know my wife put pictures of our hen that was reserve of breed at Crossroads on our K&S waterfowl facebook page as well.

 

[gwenirish11]

They both quack. I thought they look sort of dark. So I'm not sure what's up with that. I've been a little nervous since I've been on here and seen the reputation Metzers harlequins were getting. I see you are in Indiana, how far from Michigan are you? I'd like to pick up the birds but I am near the metro Detroit area. Probably a long trip! Maybe I should just grab an incubator and hatch keep a couple and sell the rest. I've grown attached to the ladies I got so I guess I will just have to use a pair for breeding.

 

[Tahai]

I'm not sure how WH color out in the long run (mine are 5 weeks old today), but the standard says they all get their juvenile feathers first, by 8 weeks, then get their nuptial plumage at a 16-20 weeks. The hens go into eclipse plumage at the end of laying cycle. Eclipse plumage lasts 3-4 months. The drakes also go into eclipse plumage in late spring or early summer, and greatly resemble the hens in coloring.

From reading various sources, I don't think the red breast indicates sex at this stage of the game.

edited to add: my ducklings are developing their quacks right now, and I have a few that are dark-breasted and are most certainly female.

 

[ChristineR]

Yours look way darker than my WH from Metzer's. Weird.

If you're looking for show quality, look for a local breeder or try Holderread Waterfowl Farm. http://holderreadfarm.com/index.htm

 

[Nu Chix To Cash]

Thanks to the advice from some BYC members I ended up buying 10 SQ WH's from Holderread's & I couldn't be happier w/them.

 

[gwenirish11]

Thanks for the replies! I think I am going to get a few sq birds and use the two of them as my breeders. These ladies can stay though ..I think they will turn out pretty and unique. I would love to see photos of the harlequins you all have Id really like to see other metzer birds for comparison.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Metzer is a quality hatchery, but they state right on their web page that they are not selling exhibition potential ducklings.

In one of my own breeds, which I know enough about to speak of it, Metzer sells some really outstanding ducklings and in the same batch you will see some really awful ducklings that look like mongrels.

So it is hit and miss about the quality of the ducklings. You should receive healthy birds, though, so I recommend Metzers as long as you don't care if ducks are show quality or not.

If you want exhibition quality ducklings, you don't buy from a hatchery. You buy from a private show breeder, or Holderread.,

 

[Wynette]

Mine are also 5 weeks - here is a pic of them at 4 weeks - the two in the middle. One of mine has a yellow bill, the other, a grayish/greenish one, but their bodies appear to be very similar in color:



First and third ones in this pic (this is my screen saver) - neither of mine has a dark chest:

 

[ChristineR]

Metzer is a quality hatchery, but they state right on their web page that they are not selling exhibition potential ducklings.

In one of my own breeds, which I know enough about to speak of it, Metzer sells some really outstanding ducklings and in the same batch you will see some really awful ducklings that look like mongrels.

So it is hit and miss about the quality of the ducklings. You should receive healthy birds, though, so I recommend Metzers as long as you don't care don't care if ducks are show quality or not.

If you want exhibition quality ducklings, you don't buy from a hatchery. You buy from a private show breeder, or Holderread.,

Yes, this is what I meant. I didn't mean to sound critical of Metzer's. Any ducklings I've ordered from them (for pets) have arrived safe and healthy and they have good customer service.