What breed (and sex) might these 3 Ducks be?

[6Quackers]

Hey Quackers, I'm thinking about purchasing these ducks to add to my current crew, but we (the owner and I) are not 100% sure what they are. Do any of you have any suggestions? I currently have 2 Aylesbury hens, 2 Khaki hens, 1 Orpington hen and 1 Orpington drake. I'm thinking one of these guys is a drake and one is a hen, but dubious about what the 3rd (middle) one is! Approximately 5 to 11 months old......

 

[TheTwoRoos]

They look like Silver Apple yards.

The front is male,back is hens.You can tell the difference in ducks easily at adult hood.Males have curls on their tails and do not quack they make a raspy sound.Females quack,no curl on their tail,and are not as pretty.

 

[6Quackers]

Thank you. I am familiar with the voice sounds and curled feathers, so I will be able to check that out when I go to see them over the weekend. I was wondering if they could possibly be Welsh Harlequins? One of the 'hens' in this photo looks to have a dark/ olive bill so would this make it NOT an Appleyard? It's not of too much concern what breed they are, but what sex, as I don't think having 3 drakes with 6 hens would be a good idea...... which means if 2 turn out to be drakes I'd then have to find an alternative home for one of them.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Im thinking the male is the ONLY silver apple yard

 

[TheTwoRoos]

The back one loos like a welsh mix same for the other one in the middle.I would get a better pic of the wing,the male may be one too

 

[6Quackers]

thanks again, it's great getting feedback from someone as I am VERY new to this duck keeping business
my only other concern (apart from ending up with 3 drakes) is that of size ratio between the breeds I have.....
do you think a welsh hen would be able to cope with being mated by an orpington drake?

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Probably.My jumbo drake mates with my Khaki campbell hen (She is SO small compared to him.)Im almost positive their 1 male and 2 hens,can you contact the owners?

 

[6Quackers]

Yes, I've already arranged to visit them and see for myself, I just wanted to have some ideas before I turned up is all I would be rather happy if they were two hens and one drake, so I'll be sure to let you know what transpires...... if only just to see how clever you are Thanks again!

 

[boosterpacksmom]

I thought they kind of look like welsh harlequins but I'm not familiar with silver appleyards at all so take that with a HUGE grain of salt.

 

[6Quackers]

The back one loos like a welsh mix same for the other one in the middle.I would get a better pic of the wing,the male may be one too

So, it turns out that there is only 1 drake = YAY! And he is an Appleyard
Then he has a bonded Appleyard hen for a girlfriend... who won't let my Orpington drake anywhere near her no matter how much he chases her around, poor girl.
And then the 2nd hen is a Welsh Harlequin, who quietly tags along with them. Neither of the boys appear to be interested in her though, which I don't understand considering she is the prettiest and most calm of the lot.
Which means you were pretty much spot on!