Welsh Harlequin Standard Weight

[adubsroit]

Googled everything I could and figured when in doubt BYC it!!

I'm sure someone out there can tell me what the heck the standard weight for a young Welsh Harlequin drake is. For that matter: what are the weights of young females; drakes; hens?

My boyfriend and I are trying to figure out a line-up for the Chehalis show in Washington this coming December and are sort of interested in taking our Welsh drake. By the time the show roles around he will be 4 months, would he be old enough then?

 

[duckyfromoz]

Average weight is 5- 6 ponds or 2.5 kg for the duck and 3 kg for the drake.

16 weeks or so is young for showing ducks - He may not have his final set of adult plumage feathers by then and still have some filling out to do.

 

[Dances with Ducks]

The Holderread bulletin on WH, which I believe is using the APA standard, says aduld drakes should be 5.5 to 6 lbs.

 

[adubsroit]

Isn't 6 pounds for a young male a little on the heavy side? Looking to other light breed ducks for ideal weight: a young Khaki Campbell drake should weight 4 lbs; young Magpie drake should be 4.5 lbs.

Lol, this is more difficult than I thought. Everything out there gives "average" weights for the breed and a lot of it comes from the British Standard. Anyone got info on the American Standard for Welsh Harlequins?

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Ok, looked again at the bulleton, it says a young drake should be 5 to 5.5 lbs.
Sorry, didn't realize there was a separate standard for the young ones so I didn't even read further.

 

[adubsroit]

Quote:

Thanks!! Where are these bulletins on Holderread's site? I found what seemed to be them under literature but it was just a list of what was available for purchase. Is that the only way to go about acquiring one

Also, are ducks the same as chicken in terms of there being a 20% allowed weight deviation up or down? I know a more standard weight bird would do better regardless but I'm really hoping to be able to get our drake acclimated to the nature of being shown and such.

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Sorry, I don't know anything about the weight deviations. I had to send for Holderread's bulletin (snail mail with a check), it seems they still do most things the old way.