Welsh Harlequin beak sexing

[hfchristy]

So, I've read that day-old Welsh Harlequins can be sexed by beak color with:
90-95% accuracy according to the 1st edition of the Storey guide
70% accuracy according to the 2nd edition
possibly not at all if you get them from the wrong place


What I've not seen anywhere, though, is whether there's an equal chance of being wrong both directions, or whether the errors are likely to be male or female.

We hatched 15 of them, so odds say that we'll probably have one wrong even if it's close to 95% accuracy. If it's closer to 70%, then we've probably guessed wrong on FIVE of them!
I forget how our numbers break down exactly, but it was weighted heavily on the male side. I've got my fingers crossed that a female duckling with a green bill is more likely than a male with a light bill. Am I just setting myself up for disappointment??

Christy

 

[Kevin565]

Where is your stock from? Many breeders have actually almost breed out that trait to focus on other ones.

 

[Tahai]

Dave Holderread, who first noticed that trait and reported it in his book, Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks, has been breeding away from it, and says it's no longer a reliable indicator for his bloodlines.

 

[hfchristy]

Dave Holderread, who first noticed that trait and reported it in his book, Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks, has been breeding away from it, and says it's no longer a reliable indicator for his bloodlines.

Really? I've been reading post after post saying "oh, the bills are only a reliable indicator if they come straight from Holderread!" And it sounds like this is one of the big reasons people are drawn to the Welsh Harlequins. I mean, yes, they're lovely, and good producers, but the idea that you could approximate gender early on seems to tip the scale.
Holderread's website still says, "Although not always as distinct as it is in this pair, day-old Harlequin males often have darker bills (left duckling) than the females (right duckling). The bill color difference usually last only 2 or 3 days after hatching."
So, totally backwards from what I was expecting to hear!

Christy

 

[hfchristy]

Where is your stock from? Many breeders have actually almost breed out that trait to focus on other ones.

The eggs came from a seller on ebay who said that the bills seemed to correlate to gender. (And said this AFTER I'd already paid, so no motive for lying about it.)

Christy

 

[Tahai]

Really? I've been reading post after post saying "oh, the bills are only a reliable indicator if they come straight from Holderread!" And it sounds like this is one of the big reasons people are drawn to the Welsh Harlequins. I mean, yes, they're lovely, and good producers, but the idea that you could approximate gender early on seems to tip the scale.
Holderread's website still says, "Although not always as distinct as it is in this pair, day-old Harlequin males often have darker bills (left duckling) than the females (right duckling). The bill color difference usually last only 2 or 3 days after hatching."
So, totally backwards from what I was expecting to hear!

Christy

The bill information used to be correct, and is even stated in the Storey's book I have (the one with the Pekins on the cover, not the most recent edition, but the one just prior). I sent an email to Holderread's about sexing by bill color, and the response I received from them (just this last March) is that it is no longer a reliable indicator in their stock.

 

[hfchristy]

So, it might actually be *more* reliable with stock from a no-name breeder??

Guess we'll see how close it is within the next couple of weeks - they're starting to quack, but only when my back is turned!
fingers crossed that my son's "favorite" turns out to be a girl, despite the bill color. Or that the other one who looks exactly like that one does. Pretty sure he can't tell them apart.

Christy

 

[dbolak]

I couldn't tell with mine, they were about ten days old when I got them and all the bills were dark. Now at about ten weeks two of the four have turned greenish and they are getting dark heads. The other two stayed card and one is getting a dark head so I resorted to picking each up. The two with the dark heads and greenish bill can't quack worth anything. The other two quack so based on that I am assuming two and two. Any opinions?

 

[Tahai]

yep. 2 pair.

 

[pastrymama]

i just received my harlequins from holderread's this past wednesday and i too, wondered if this was still accurate. i called and they put dave on the phone to talk to me! he said what Tahai just did, he has bred away from this trait to improve on other things. while he can tell the sex, the average person like us may not be able to. wait for the quack.