Welsh Harlequin Breeding Thread - People who are breeding or want to breed their WH's talk

[CherokeeFlats]

I'm looking at breeding WHs. My stock is from someone on BYC that had Holderreads (I believe). The problem I am having is that I have 3 males. I need some girls to go with the boy I am keeping. ANyone in or around Central IL have any girls???

TIA

 

[hokankai]

Here are the babies tonight!

Left to right: Elizabeth, Jemima (who is possibly a male), Delilah, and Jasper

 

[Zombified]

Why do you think Jasper's a female again? It looks like there are black feathers starting to come up on his head. Or do females sometimes have that too?

 

[hokankai]

The juveniles all have dark head caps at first, and then moult into their adult feathering later. Believe me, she shares her quacks (followed by Delilah and Elizabeth now!) LOUD AND PROUD. Haha

 

[Zombified]

Ohh, okay. I guess my ducklings were all just really light because I never noticed them all getting black caps. But then again, I was gone since they were six weeks up til nine weeks, so I probably just missed it.

 

[WH fan]

They do have good colour. Well done!

 

[Zombified]

How long do you usually wait to breed them? I plan on picking up all their eggs for at least a year.

EDIT:

There's my handsome boy, Erebus! He's the one I'm hoping to be able to show in January.

And my WH flock:

 

[WH fan]

Hi. You can breed them in the first year, but I have found the new mothers don't sit or look after the ducklings quite as well as the older ones.

 

[Zombified]

So, you're saying I should wait at least a year?

 

[WH fan]

Hi. No, but it is up to you - I never did. It's just that they may not hatch as many or you may lose a couple. I think still better than getting none at all - even if you just let them hatch one batch and see how they go. I can get my older ones, especially, to raise more than one lot in a year. Hope this helps.