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

[DUCKGIRL89]

Lakota_elder, I just PM'ed you about some eggs!

 

[sherylreno]

Here's a link to the American Livestock Breeds Conservatory. If anyone wishes to show their birds this is the place to find out the correct definitions. But a lot of shows are allowing the flashy colors and the non silver colors on the bodies.

http://albc-usa.org/cpl/waterfowl/welshharlequin.html

My ducks are still young but one of them is getting her dark feet now.

 

[sherylreno]

You can test for fertility without opening the eggs. Use an empty toliet paper roll and place the egg on top and use a flashlight below. That will give you an indication if they are fertile or not.

Is this before you place them in the incubator or after so many days during incubation? I would love to tell if an egg is fertile without breaking it before it's placed in the incubator since Welsh Harlequin's fertility rating is so low.

 

[Dances with Ducks]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/image/view/id/4950694/album/6076929
Her-es my pair. I have two other hens, but they have eye stripes. Are these 2 worth keeping for breeders?

I would say they are definitely breed standard, the only possible criticism I see is the blue speculum feathers not being more obvious. Like Sheryl said they might not win at show for that reason, they do like flashy ones. But there are a lot of people who want Welsh Harlequin that are buying ducklings from far less standard parents so yours may make most people happy.. It just depends on who your market and that you are not selling them as show quality but breed standard. A lot of people just want the wonderful egg laying qualities but in a breed that is a bit mellower than a Khaki Campbell.
Who knows, the ducklings could even take after their dad, although my oldest girl has the same thing going on with her wing bars and the few daughters I have raised of hers to mature feathering have all taken after her that way.

 

[sherylreno]

Thank you Dances with Ducks. It's why I have both so people can have what they want from the ducklings and eggs.

I put a dozen eggs in the incubator Sunday. I haven't had any issues at all. The temp has been steady at 99.5 degrees and the humidity is at 50% which is good for my climate, I live in the high desert with a humidity level of 8% most of the time.

I'm looking forward to the hatching next month. I'll be posting pics on here with updates and such as the hatching process continues.

 

[NCFF]

Hello ~ I am in Northern California. I have ordered 10 WH from Metzer, expecting them in April. The more I read here, it assures me that I picked the right breed. Mellow, good egg layer, broody , oh and finger licking good~ What more could a farmer want? Keep the pics coming y'all. P.S. Where online can I find the SOP for WH?

 

[sherylreno]

Hello ~ I am in Northern California. I have ordered 10 WH from Metzer, expecting them in April. The more I read here, it assures me that I picked the right breed. Mellow, good egg layer, broody , oh and finger licking good~ What more could a farmer want? Keep the pics coming y'all. P.S. Where online can I find the SOP for WH?

NCFF, yes you did pick the perfect breed. I picked up mine in November and they are the best. They even beat chickens with their egg laying. They have not missed a single day of laying since they started. I was told by my friend these will stop laying in July but I'm going to see for sure since her WH's setting on eggs then so they stopped their laying.

I'm here in Reno not too far from you, if you are interested in ducks or eggs just PM and we can set it up.

Quote:

Here's a link to the American Livestock Breeds Conservatory. If anyone wishes to show their birds this is the place to find out the correct definitions. But a lot of shows are allowing the flashy colors and the non silver colors on the bodies.

http://albc-usa.org/cpl/waterfowl/welshharlequin.html

My ducks are still young but one of them is getting her dark feet now.

Here's the link on what to look for in SQ if you are interested in showing your ducks.

 

[Tahai]

Hi all!

I read that the APA SOP for WH is based on the nuptial plumage (have not had the opportunity to read the SOP yet). Can I expect my ducks to be in nuptial plumage in early-mid August in upstate PA?

(For day-length comparison, I'm at 41°N latitude, similar to Chicago, IL; Providence, RI; Hartford, CT; Cleveland, OH; Cheyenn, WY; Rome, Italy; Istanbul, Turkey.)

What does one do at show scheduled for 'off season'?

Thanks,

Tahai

 

[sherylreno]

Hi all!

I read that the APA SOP for WH is based on the nuptial plumage (have not had the opportunity to read the SOP yet). Can I expect my ducks to be in nuptial plumage in early-mid August in upstate PA?

(For day-length comparison, I'm at 41°N latitude, similar to Chicago, IL; Providence, RI; Hartford, CT; Cleveland, OH; Cheyenn, WY; Rome, Italy; Istanbul, Turkey.)

What does one do at show scheduled for 'off season'?

Thanks,

Tahai

I have no idea what nuptial plumage is.

 

[Tahai]

Hi, Sheryl.

If you scroll down to the second picture on this link, it is where I go my information from.

http://holderreadfarm.com/photogallery/welsh_page/welsh_page.htm