Welsh Harlequin Male ducklings?

[juniper sage]

I have 3 Welsh Harlequins just over 4 weeks - I'm assuming these are all male.. but this is my first time with ducks!
Two of them are quite brown, and the one in the middle of both pictures is mostly white/getting lighter, but lighter in bill colour.
I have 3 welsh and 3 Saxony, and some are definitely quacking (but only when I'm not looking of course lol)

 

[Jenbirdee]

They are super duper adorable!! But why are you assuming that they’re all male/drakes?
You can’t really tell yet because they’re only four weeks old…
And the ones who are quacking are likely to be girls … but, did you sex them at hatch the first three days you can tell by the bill color with welsh harlequin’s here’s a link
https://saltinmycoffee.com/how-to-sex-welsh-harlequin-ducklings/

 

[juniper sage]

They are super duper adorable!! But why are you assuming that they’re all male/drakes?
You can’t really tell yet because they’re only four weeks old…
And the ones who are quacking are likely to be girls … but, did you sex them at hatch the first three days you can tell by the bill color with welsh harlequin’s here’s a link
https://saltinmycoffee.com/how-to-sex-welsh-harlequin-ducklings/

I thought the lighter bills/darkish heads were a sign of males, just based off of different threads I've read. But I would love for them to be all females!
Unfortunately I missed the window for bill sexing (we got them at about 8 days old)

 

[homeschoolin momma]

At 4 weeks, sound is your best identifier. Girls are already starting to "get their quack on." Dark heads are an indicator of male. Initially I would tentatively say male at this point, but their heads are not super dark yet and I don't see the classic white band that comes underneath yet. A few more weeks and it will be obvious.

 

[juniper sage]

I am thinking male as well! There's only one out of the six that is currently making a lot of noise. I did see someone in a Saxony thread say theirs were late quacking. Im hoping I have more than one female.
The welsh heads have darkened a bit more, and you can see more of the band around the neck. From a video I watched the 'scalloped' pattern on the back was said to also indicate male, opposed to a pencil stripe a female typically has. But who knows!

 

[MerryMeridional]

It looks like their bills have lightened to an olive color, which would mean they are all males. 2 have rust and colors consistent with male. The thirds colors are coming in less distinctly male but the bill gives it away. That third drake also has a dark head coming in under those baby feathers.

 

[HeritageFan]

....it looks to me like you probably have one hen
One drake
And one likely drake.

The “hood” is something I’ve seen often in my young hens. The tan breast feathers is more indicative of a drake.
The beak and leg color should help, but isn’t a determining factor unless your babies came from someone who is dedicated to ....breeding “proper” welshies

We have had several groups of welshies over several years, and we love them so much, they are now our only ducks.

My questions:
- where did you get them?
....my last group I bought off CL because I had only one hatch from a clutch of eggs from my older ducks- and she needed duck friends (I raised her w turkey poults). They were “supposed” to be pure Welsh Harlequin, but some of them are not.
Any possibility of mixes in these guys, or did you buy them from someone more trustworthy than the guy I got my last batch from?
(I have new babies that just arrived from Metzer to replace the mixes :/ )
- how old are they? I’m guessing about 3-4 months?

They should go through their juvenile molt at about 4 months. Then you should be able to see (or not see) the upward curl on the tail feathers= drake for sure.

The other “test” you could do at this age would be to grab them one at a time, with a long sleeve shirt on (trust me) - and walk them away from the group.
The quacks are the girls.
The squeaks are the boys.

Let us know how it works out

 

[juniper sage]

....it looks to me like you probably have one hen
One drake
And one likely drake.

The “hood” is something I’ve seen often in my young hens. The tan breast feathers is more indicative of a drake.
The beak and leg color should help, but isn’t a determining factor unless your babies came from someone who is dedicated to ....breeding “proper” welshies

We have had several groups of welshies over several years, and we love them so much, they are now our only ducks.

My questions:
- where did you get them?
....my last group I bought off CL because I had only one hatch from a clutch of eggs from my older ducks- and she needed duck friends (I raised her w turkey poults). They were “supposed” to be pure Welsh Harlequin, but some of them are not.
Any possibility of mixes in these guys, or did you buy them from someone more trustworthy than the guy I got my last batch from?
(I have new babies that just arrived from Metzer to replace the mixes :/ )
- how old are they? I’m guessing about 3-4 months?

They should go through their juvenile molt at about 4 months. Then you should be able to see (or not see) the upward curl on the tail feathers= drake for sure.

The other “test” you could do at this age would be to grab them one at a time, with a long sleeve shirt on (trust me) - and walk them away from the group.
The quacks are the girls.
The squeaks are the boys.

Let us know how it works out

They are about 2 months right now. The two with the tan breast definitely make that 'weep weep' sound of a drake.
The white one doesn't really make any sounds as of yet.. even when the others are excited and loud, or when taken away from the group. That one is very quiet! I picked that one up last night and walked so far away from the others and not a single sound!

I would say there is definitely a possibility of being a mix, they were from a local hobby farmer, and she was unsure as she was keeping them for a friend who didn't have enough space for them.

 

[HeritageFan]

Well, I’m sorry that one of my “go to” tests didn’t work, but I still think that one is a hen!
You will know for sure in another week or two (ish) when the next round of feathers come in