Welsh harlequin hen?

[Abold87]

Recently added a bunch of ducks to our flock. We were given many welsh harlequins. But some of the females dont look the same. Not sure if its yhe age or just markings. Have approximately 3 that look like this one. Beautiful but not sure.
If it is a welsh harlequin would you avoid breeding these ones?

 

[Abold87]

These are a few photos of the group. Some of the welsh seem to have a lot more color than others. Even noticed a difference in drake colors.

 

[Miss Lydia]

They are a beautiful flock. I am no expert on WH but maybe @Table4Six can help.

 

[chickens really]

Definitely the Drakes darken up and do not look anything like the Hens.

 

[Isaac 0]

Those females are gorgeous.As @chickens really said males are way darker than the females.

 

[Duckworth]

My welsh females vary in color, too. Some have darker, but not drake-colored heads and others have white heads or just darker tops of their heads. They all tend to darken with each molt so far. I have four Welsh, one probable mix, though it's hard to tell because I think her previous owner clipped her flight feathers, and one that looks like a Buff.

 

[Abold87]

Yes color variances are beautiful but then i wonder if they are mixed. I took some more photos to show the difference in female colors.or what we believe to be females.

 

[Abold87]

Females

 

[Duckworth]

Four of my harlequins came straight from the hatchery and they have color variations. One was killed several month ago and we have added two others, one of which may be mixed. My hatchery ones are the lightest. My darkest (bought from a local farm) didn't turn dark until her second molt. Then she got a lot darker.

The darkest is the only non-hatchery Welsh. The other three were special ordered as Welsh.

 

[lomine]

There are also two color variations for WH. There is the more common silver phase that has the blue/green/purple spectrum feathers on the wings. There is also the gold phase. The spectrum feathers are gold/bronze and the markings are brown. A gold phase WH won't have any black markings.

I think the one that is molting (no primary wing feathers) may be a gold phase but you'll have to wait and see when she's done molting.