The Welsh Harlequin is a fairly new breed, developed by Leslie Bonnett in Wales from two off-colored Khaki Campbell ducklings in 1949.
They came to the United States in 1968 and were accepted into the American Poultry Association in 2001 in the Light Duck class.
They are becoming a very popular breed due to their multipurpose characteristics. They are calm, inquisitive and excellent foragers.
They seem to be the calmest bird on our farm.
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They can also make an outstanding dressed bird as their under-feathers are almost exclusively white making their carcass as pretty as a pure white bird.
Interestingly, they can be sexed after hatching with 90% accuracy by their bill color.
Darker bills mean a male and lighter bills ending in a dark spot are normally females. Within several days this distinction disappears.
They are also a beautiful bird, especially the feather patterns and colors on the adult females.
There are two variations of Welsh Harlequins: Silver and Gold. Ours are the more common Silver variety.
Ok I've gotta say I was a little scared to receive my ducklings via mail. There are so many bad experiences people have had and I didn't want the same. So I crossed my fingers and submitted my order (1 male and 1 female welsh harlequin). I've gotta say, Metzer farms has got their act together! The babies were and still are happy and healthy little cuties. They weren't sickly or half dead, they're full of life! They were also packaged very well and their warmer was still warm after receiving them. Everything went down like clockwork, just as Metzer farms explained. I extremely appreciated the informative emails with links on how to care for the babies once I got them home. I'm very happy with the whole experience and with Metzer Farms! I will be returning to Metzer farms for more orders when I'm ready because I trust the outcome.
By far the calmest and the best layers I have. Love the color variations, they are very beautiful ducks.