Welsh Harlequin Duck Breed – Everything You Need to Know

Welsh Harlequin ducks are one of the most gorgeous breeds of ducks. Not only are they a nice medium sized breed that is good for most gardens. They are also a good allrounder being good egg layers and have excellent quality lean meat.

But these beautiful ducks also have a very unique personality all of their own. They are inquisitive, friendly, gently and quite calm.

They are a great addition to any flock of ducks and are a really good starter duck for the first-time duck owner. Anyone with children who want their kids to get involved with raising and caring for ducks this is a good starting breed.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Country of Origin:	Wales
American Poultry Association:	yes Recognized by the American Poultry Association
Duck Category:	Light
Duck Class:	English
Colors:	Silver, Date of acceptance: 2001
Other known colors :	Golden
Good starter duck?	Yes
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Bantam Variety Available?	No
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APPEARANCE / IDENTIFICATION

DUCK BITS

DESCRIPTION

COLOR

EYES⇒

Same for M & F

BILL⇒

Differs in M & F

M – Yellow
F – Dark/Black

*Black bean tipped

CRESTED?

LEGS⇒

Differs in M & F

M – Orange
F – Dark

Medium sized set at a good proportion to the duck’s upright body

FEET⇒

Differs in M & F

M – Orange
F – Dark

Medium sized feet

WINGS⇒

Differs in M & F

Slate Blue

M – White with reddish-brown covering
F – White laced with some blue

FEATHERS⇒

Differs in M & F

M – White with reddish-brown covering, a white ring around his neck and a deep green head.
His tail feathers are curled and black.
F – Lighter more buff colored with a soft buff colored head, body is white feathers with buff lace. Her tail feathers are a fawn color and straight.

SKIN COLOR⇒

Same for M & F

White

AVERAGE WEIGHT⇒

Adult Female:	5 lbs.
Adult Male:	5.5 lbs.
Mature:	**5.5 lbs. @ 16 weeks old

*Bean: This is also called the nail. It is a small round bump found at the end of the duck’s bill. It is used for defence and to catch insects. It is almost like a fingernail and is damaged can grow back. It can also get overgrown much like fingernails if they do not have something to grind it down on.

** Note: This is an average weight for the male duck and not a guaranteed weight

USE/PURPOSE

Females/Hens

⇒

Eggs, Meat, Show and Pet

Eggs⇒
	Color:	White
	Qty/Yr:	240 – 330
	Size:	Large
	They will start to try hatch eggs from their first lay
	Start to lay around 25 to 30 weeks old. They lay consistently through the year
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Broody:	Yes	They can become quite broody
Mothers:	Yes	They make really good mothers
Meat:	Yes	They have a very lean and deliciously delicate flavored meat
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Pets:	Yes	They love to see what their human are up to
Show:	Yes	TThey are exquisitely beautiful show birds with their soft feminine coloring
Prime:	7 yrs	They lay right up to between 8 to 9 years of age if they stay healthy

Males/Drakes

⇒

Breeding, show, meat and pets

Breed:	Yes	Should only start to breed them at 6 months old
Start:	–	Start to get fertile at around 3 – 4 months
No. Females	5	For every 1 drake in a flock
Aggressive	No	They are quite gentle drakes except if they have to defend their hen’s nest(s)
Meat	Yes	They have a lovely lean and tasty meat
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Pets:	Yes	Their quiet, calm yet curious nature makes them delightful pets
Show:	Yes	They are exceptionally beautiful birds with their own unique style
Prime:	4 yrs	It is best to mate the younger drakes of up to about 4 years old

TEMPERAMENT
“Quiet, calm, gentle, curious and friendly creatures.”
Good with Kids?	They are good around supervised children
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Flyers?	They are rather poor flyers and as such rarely try to fly at all
Noisy Birds?	They are not very noisy at all
Interact with other ducks?	They interact well with any ducks or other birds
Best duck breeds to mix them with:	Any domesticated breed of duck.
Other animals?	They tend to steer clear of most other domestic animals

IDEAL ENVIRONMENT
“They like to roam and forage about. They are really curious ducks that like to explore”
Ideal Garden Size?	Medium to large
Can be Confined?	They do not really like to be confined
Free-Range	They love the open space wander about in
Penned Free-Ranging?	As long as there is a lot of fresh foraging areas
Foragers	They love to hunt down bugs and grubs
Endures heat well	Yes
Endures cold well	Yes
Special Requirements?	No
Ideal Duck House:	A duck hutch must be able to comfortably house the number of ducks a person keeps. The hutch should also be safe and secure, well insulated and ventilated
Ideal Duck Pond:	A nice shallow wading pool or small pond
Flock/Paddling Size:	Always get more than one duck because they do like the company
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GOOD TO KNOW
Special Care/Attention Requirements?	They have no special needs
Known Predators:	Check with animal control in your area for known predators
Conservations Status:	Not Listed For more information on poultry, conservation status, check the American Livestock Conservancy Website
Breeders Clubs:	It is best to check with the American Poultry Association for various clubs and or organizations.
Where to buy them:	Metzer Farms, Purely Poultry, Cackle Hatchery or check with local poultry farms, the APA or check with the American Livestock Conservancy
Other:	If you do not want to risk having your ducks shipped check with your local poultry farms for advice on your nearest supplier.

HISTORY

The Welsh Harlequin was developed in Wales in 1949 by Leslie Bonnet. He had a flock of Khaki Campbell in which he discovered a color mutation. He selectively bred his flock for this trait to create the Welsh Harlequin breed.

The Welsh Harlequin is a lot calmer and more friendly than the Khaki Campbell and has the most beautiful plumage patterns. This and the fact that they were an excellent utility bird as they laid a great number of eggs. Their meat was a delectable flavor and known to be pleasantly lean. The bird soon becomes a very popular utility breed until the late fifties’ early sixties. Sadly, their number dropped quite considerably around this time.

In 1968 the first hatching eggs were imported to America by John Fugate from Tennessee. Then in 1981 live Welsh Harlequins were imported to the United States of America. The Silver variety of the Welsh Harlequin was accepted into the Standard of Perfection by the American Poultry Society in 2001.

These birds make excellent show birds with their beautiful plumage, the way they carry themselves and their calm temperaments.
They have also been known to be one of the most highly adaptable duck breeds that adapt to most environments as if they were born to it.

Welsh Harlequin are very active birds that are excellent foragers, lay a high amount of large white eggs a year. Their lean meat is of the highest quality and their carcasses pluck really easily and almost as clean as any white variety of duck.

Health

They have no known health issues and a lot fewer pests than most other breeds of birds

Ducks need water to ensure they do not get “wet feather” disease. This is where the preening gland dries out. Water also stops them from getting pests such as mites, fleas, ticks, lice, etc.
Well, fed ducks should hardly have any health issues.
Any birds kept in a flock need to be dewormed. Although ducks are not as prone as other poultry they should still have a de-worming regime. Speak to a local vet or poultry experts for advice. Our article on Healthy Ducks has some great tips and advice on de-worming ducks.