Welsh Harlequin Ducks - Metzer Farms...

[SFIcelandics]

Has anyone ordered from Metzer Farms?

Know the quality of their Welsh Harlequin, White Crested or Black Sweedish???

Any and all information would be VERY helpful!

Nate

 

[CityChicker]

Lots of people here have ordered from them. I have gotten birds from them and they were great (not WH or Crested though). John is an awesome guy. I haven't been terribly impressed with their WH though to be honest. I think they have a lot of work to go on those and they clearly have some unwanted genes in some of their WH stock, pied in particular (aka Runner pattern, R/R). They will send you healthy and robust birds though and they have great customer service. John has helped me personally on more than one occasion and I would recommend them without hesitation.

I think some of their other birds may be better than their WH (although several people have gotten great WH from them too). I think their Swedish are probably higher quality. I know you didn't mention Runners, but their Runners are great quality for a hatchery as well. I don't know about their Crested birds. Other people here have ordered various other breeds though as well and they almost always seem to get good reviews. Honestly though, I have seen some really cool "off-color" WH from them too (usually Harlequin phase without the Dusky, but gorgeous none the less). The only other place I would order from before I ordered from them would be Holderreads, but they are done with ducklings for the year. Good luck!

 

[SFIcelandics]

I was just wondering as there is a lady up here who is going to be selling a trio of Black Sweedish, Welsh Harlequin, White Crested, and Golden Layer ducks from them after the fairs the end of june.

I was just curious to see what others thought of their quality - I have heard both really good and really bad about the quality of their stock.

Nate

 

[CityChicker]

Yeah, as I say, it just depends on the breed and also what you want them for. If you want them to be show birds, I would not recommend their WH. Of course, really a hatchery is not a good place to get show quality birds in general, regardless of the breed. Their WH though really do not meet the breed standard at all. If that is important to you, I would probably pass (unless she happens to have some of their nicer birds, no way to tell really without seeing them). Their Black Swedish are slightly better. The Crested I have no idea. The Golden Layer is a hybrid and can't be shown (in most classes) nor does the sex-link work in future generations. They are great layers though!

If you could post pictures of them, people here could probably at least give you a better idea of their quality. HTH.

 

[Wifezilla]

Their WH are not show quality by any stretch of the imagination. I have 2. Healthy? Yes. Adorable? Yes. But they have serious coloring flaws.

Wendy has mallard striping...a big no no.

Shelley is over a year old and her bill is still splotchy. She has blue wing bars on only one wing. The other wing is solid white. Also her feet are bright orange. Only spots on her legs are dark like they are supposed to be. I wouldn't breed her at all if it wasn't for the fact that she is really smart (for a duck

). I just make sure my drakes are exceptionally handsome fellows and hope the offspring have dad's looks and mom's brains. So far so good

For healthy ducks with good color quality, get ducks from Holddereads. If you want pet quality healthy ducks, Metzer is fine. I originally ordered from them because I have room for a very limited number of ducks and only wanted 3 females. It cost me extra to ship the low number and for the sexing, but I got exactly what I needed.

 

[A2SciTeach]

I have White Cresteds and buff ducks from Metzer's. I don't know about show quality, but the crests are very large and well placed. The buffs are nice ducks - again I don't show we just wanted some ducks for eggs. We got exactly what we ordered and the ducks are healthy. Here they are at about 9 weeks, just feathering out.

 

[chasing ducks]

I have the golden hybrids, the black swedish and the welsh harlequins all from metzer farms. I know one black swedish has angel wing which will just not be resolved, there is debate on wether or not this is genetic. My welsh has a splotchy bill but is still gorgeous and the golden hybrids seem to be well mannered. They have great service and awesome birds, just not necessarily show quality. You ought to check out their website, it may be cheaper to buy directly from them.

 

[bock]

I have 2 Black Swedishes, 1 Welsh Harlequin, and 2 White Cresteds from Metzer Farms. The Black Swedishes are very pretty, but I do not know if they are show quality. The Welsh Harlequin was supposed to be a girl, but ''she'' turned out to be my one drake out of the batch of 10. I must say he is a very handsome boy, but again I have never shown ducks, so I don't know if he is show quality. My White Crested ducks both have beautiful, big, fluffy crests. The one with the larger crest, however, has some problems. She is totally blind in one eye, is almost deaf, and has seizures. I originally thought she had just injured her eye as a duckling, but when I call the ducks she doesn't even take a step. The other Crested has no problems what so ever. So, these are my duckies!

 

[HiddenHill Heretic]

Hi, I Have 45 Metzer Ducks, 10 of which are Welsh Harlequin ducks. Of the Runners, Golden 300, Whitelayer, Khaki Campbell, Rouen, and Blue Swedes, the WH are my favorite both in terms of appearance and behavior. They seem to be quieter and more mellow than the layer ducks, and more freindly than the Swedes, who are the quietest. I'll try to post pics of them. John Metzer is a good guy. Metzer farms is an exemplary operation. I recommend giving them a try. I will agree that the silver and gold phase are not differentiated. I got a few of both and enjoy the difference. Good luck whichever way you go.