Welsh Harlequin, how and where to get them

[HeatherLynn]

Ok so I seem to be having issues finding these. Meyer has them but its ship only. I am trying to avoid shipping because I would be a nervous wreck. My husband has already agreed to drive 300 miles to pick up chicks for me ( yes I am very lucky and insane) ok soooo I just don't know what to do now. I want these but I don't want to ship. Many sites don't even have these for sale either. Thats not helping.

 

[pirtykitty]

Here are some places to get Welsh Harlequin ducks from:

Holderreads is one of the best:
they ship ducklings in spring and you might can order grown ones right now till Febuary or till they are sold out.

http://www.holderreadfarm.com/

there is also;

Little Heirloom Acres
Farm & Preserve
"A dream, a way of life and the future of diversified farming"

Heritage Ducks, Geese, Chickens, Turkeys
Registered American Guinea Hogs,
Miniature Donkeys & British Soay Sheep
[email protected]


Sand Hill Preservation farm:
http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/pages/poultry_catalog.html

I also think there are some members on here that have Welsh Harlequin ducks you might can get a start from.

William with Little Heirloom Acres, Holderreads and the breeders on BYC would be good choices for Welsh Harlequin ducks

Metzers out of California ships ducklings in the spring they are not bred to standard but are still good if you aren't going to be showing them.. I Have some of theirs and am happy with them. eventually want to have some of Holderreads and Little Heirloom Acres WH's too.


Hopefully some of the breeders of WH's will chime in too.

 

[KansasKid]

I really wouldn't be to worried about shipping. I have ordered various numbers of birds including day olds and juveniles and haven't lost a single one. Even if your still not comfortable you could save a ton of money looking within or area for them by everything from craigslist to newspaper ads. Heck you might be able to find someone on this forum that is in your area that might have them in the spring. You could just keep an eye on the auction part of the forum.

 

[HeatherLynn]

Ok well if I go with shipping, holderreadfarm seems to be the place to go. I plan on putting in my orders before the end of the year. To get the chicken and ducks I want I think I have to consider shipping.

 

[featherfooted]

I got 10 Welsh Harlequins from Holderreads last spring. They are doing great. They made the trip from Oregon to Georgia with no trouble. They were all active and alert when they arrived.

 

[HeatherLynn]

Are these birds really on the decline in numbers? I keep reading that they are which is part of the reason I was wanting some. I love ducks but I would not mind helping a breed out that is struggling a bit. Its been more than 10 years since I have had ducks so I am excited.

 

[KansasKid]

I really don't know the facts about these but it really seems like every other day someone on here either gets some or hatches some.

 

[Wifezilla]

I don't think they will be much longer. LOL

Mine reproduce rather well. I think the silver drake I had, Tweak, fathered about 4 dozen babies this last year alone from just my flock. He has since made the rounds of 2 other farms. He has been a busy boy

 

[BirdBrain]

I ordered 10 WH from Holderreads for this spring. I'm so excited as well. I ordered some geese to come at the same time.

 

[kswaterfowl]

We are "fairly" close within that driving limit I believe.

We will have ducklings this Spring, but we DO NOT ship. We also have a pair that we could spare currently. (Possibly a trio, but I would really have to go through this years young birds to see if I could find another hen. www.kswaterfowl.blogspot.com