Welsh Harlequin

[Big Dreamer]

Well, metzers says that WH are the friendliest duck they have, and well my dad said that we are going to go pick up some of the 2 week old WH tomorrow!! I'm so excited

 

[NellaBean]

Okay, so I got home today and definitely had a duck egg. It was right in front of their night crate, was covered in poop and mud.....and just "looks different".

Whoo hooo! I am going to make them a nice hay nest next to their crate so they will hopefully lay them there. Yay ducks!

 

[jellybean]

So I recently got 3 WH's from Metzer, a blue runner and a chocolate runner. The WH's are the crazy ones, don't want anything to do with me and panic everytime I get close. I can hold them on my lap, for like an hour and they are still squirming, screeching and trying to get away. The blue runner is sooo sweet, likes to sit on my lap and sleep, and is the only one who will eat from my hand. The chocolate is tamer than the WH's, but only likes to be held for like 15 minutes. She's a runt, and is pretty small. I hope I can calm the others down, they act like I'm a monster! Weird that the runners are more bold and confident, and were much tamer from the beginning.

 

[Wifezilla]

That is so weird. My WH from Metzer were total friendly right out of the box. Now I will admit they never liked to be held, but they loved it when I talked to them. I used to take them out on the lawn, lay on the grass on my stomach and let the ducks run around me. They used to hide under my chin when ever something spooked them. Then they would get brave and venture out, then run back under me to hide again. It totally cracked me up. They also loved being talked to and would peep back all the time. They still "talk back" to me and eat out my hand.

 

[CityChicker]

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Wifezilla, that drake you gave me (Tweak) is still my friendliest duck, and the hen I got from citychicker (same source) is also a sweetie. I just think it had to do with the way she raises her ducks, amazing because she has so many but she just must have a special touch. I am planning to find him a new home soon because it turns out he has a recessive gold gene and I am now planning to limit the ducklings I breed to just the silver phase. His recessive gold was probably to be expected since he came from a mixed flock. Except for producing a lot of gold duckletts he has been a real asset with his sweet nature.

Big Dreamer I don't think Welsh Harlequins are naturally as friendly as the Pekins and Muscovies you have, so I hope you won't be disappointed in them. To me they are about as friendly as runners, that is to say if you work with them a lot they will warm up, but never really want to be touched.

How can I tell the differnce between my duck eggs and chicken eggs?

What size bands can I use on WH ladies? I have 3 that are identical but I would like to band them so I can tell the difference. Short of using a zip tie (which might be the easiest) what size band do they need

You will notice a definite difference in texture between chicken eggs and duck eggs, duck eggs are waxy looking.
I was told to use a size 9 band on my adult WH (Smith poultry), but I think the next size up might be a bit better for some of the larger ones.​

That's awesome! I am glad Tweak worked out well and fathered some nice offspring. Thank you for the kind words. That is very nice. If you decide for sure to part with Tweak, I would definitely be interested in getting him back, especially if you might have a duck to pair him with! I would love to add WH back to my flock now that we have more space. Just let me know the details on what you have that you are thinking about selling!

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Absolutely CityChicker!! I will email you!!

 

[Wifezilla]

Tweak is a very handsome boy. He did go for my toes a few times when he first "became a man", but other than that he is a good drake. I think he may have mellowed more since dwd got him and he is no longer hormonally deranged. He was very good to my ladies. Protective and not to rough.

His daughter Dawn (by Shelley, a Metzer hen) is a really pretty silver. Shelley is my duck with some color flaws but the one with more brains than the rest of the flock put together. Breeding her with Tweak resulted in a lot of those flaws going away. Dawn isn't quite as sharp as mom, but she is pretty on the ball...for a duck that is

. Shelley's worst flaw is her bill. Even at 2 it is still splotchy. Dawn's bill is a nice rich slate color with no splotches. Shelley's legs are also splotchy. More like and ancona. Dawn's legs are solid dark orange. A bit lighter than they should be but no spots.

From what others who bought eggs and ducklings from me have reported, Tweak is throwing LARGE drakes. TJ, who I still have, is much taller than my hens and even my new(ish) McMurry drake. Personality-wise, TJ is a good boy. He was raised by my psycho runner so he is not people friendly, but he gets along with all the girls and even the other drake. Those two are best buds. He is also one of my best foragers, which I think is a really good trait. When the other picky brats ignore veggies and weeds I toss in the pen, he is over there munching away. Appearance-wise, he looks like a typical gold. I will try to get some photos later today.

As for the other duck I kept from you, Lexi is awesome

and a very pretty gold. Great coloring. Gotta love that Holderread stock! She raised that small clutch this summer, so I am expecting her to raise more ducklings for me next year. I can even check on eggs and ducklings without her trying to take my arm off unlike my runner. Man I really don't miss her at all...LOL I sold her to someone in Black Forest who wanted a protective duck and Chrissy sure is that!!

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Oh wow Wifezilla, you got a gold drake from Tweak? That's the first example of a Silver Drake with a Gold hen producing a gold drake I have heard of!! But we were all theorizing it was possible, it just was so elusive. Must be all those goldfish and extra spoiling they get from you!!
For a little while Tweak had an obsession with my Chocolate Runner, Aretha. She would be squawking her head off while he was around until I penned him separately with one or two other hens so everybody was happy. He really did understand what the issue was because at first I would try letting him out and he would keep his hands off of Aretha as long as I was watching, but when I would go in the house I would hear her yelling again until I got them apart. For a couple of weeks I just kept them separate but then I discovered he had completely mellowed out. I consider him to be a true gentleman now.
But maybe it's just the time of year?

 

[Big Dreamer]

I just got 4 Welsh Harlequin ducklings!! I think I got 3 females and 1 male, the boy is Titan, the littlest girl (mine) is Athena, my sisters is Scylla, and the other girl is Aphrodite!! Yes they are all Greek gods and goddesses..

I think I'm in love!! They are still very skittish, but I think they are warming up to us everyday!! Although my jack russel wants to eat them, im very afraid of her getting over the little fence and harming them!! I always have an eye on them though, so i dont know whats gonna happen, when we leave we close the doggie doors though!!

 

[duckluv]

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