# Welsh Harlequin Ducklings! Sex and phase?



## milkmaid

We just received our order of Welsh Harlequin ducklings from Holderread! They are mixed gold and silver, male and female. Is there an expert who can help us with sex and phase?
Here's a link to the Picasa album.
https://picasaweb.google.com/117715058357627348492/WelshHarlequinDucks?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ6UlpSumqOfJw#

And here are pictures of the various colors. (ETA: There is one bonus duckling, of unknown breed, in the bunch! It could be any of them since they all look so similar, but since #4 looks unique, I am guessing that's the one.)
#1, #2









#3









#4 (could be the bonus duckling!)


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## ksalvagno

They are adorable! Don't you have to vent sex them?


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## milkmaid

Thanks! Welsh Harlequins can be sexed with 90% accuracy, within the first 3 days, by bill color. Dark bill male, light bill female. But I've seen conflicting pictures and info, and some of ours have bills that are in between dark and light.


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## milkmaid

I just realized that the bonus duckling they sent is probably a different breed! I edited the original post to add this.


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## milkmaid

New pictures! They are now 7 weeks old!

 



The females are starting to quack, so I'm pretty sure the following pictures are correct.

Silver male


Silver female


Gold male


Gold female


I prefer the gold.


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## milkmaid

Oh, and for the record, in the duckling pics, #1 is a gold female, #2 a silver female, #3 a silver male, and #4 a gold male.


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## TrinityRanch

Wow! They are really pretty


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## ksalvagno

They are so cute. I so badly want to get ducks. I am going to have to wait until next year when we are better settled in to our new home.

What did the bonus duck end up being?


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## milkmaid

Thanks - I think they are very pretty too!


> What did the bonus duck end up being?


Turns out it was another Welsh Harlequin. On the underside of the box lid, it said "10 Welsh Harlequin + 1 bonus," and when I called the hatchery, they said that means the bonus is the same breed.


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## ciwheeles

They are so pretty!


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## nchen7

they're so pretty!!!


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## AmyBoogie

Your ducks are gorgeous. I might have to get some of those next round of ducklings we get.


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## milkmaid

Thank you!


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## Kelly Thompson

Since you have harlequins, can you tell me if this duck I am currently trying to save from a bad area and also feeding, if it is one? I also believe this is a female. Not 100% sure



milkmaid said:


> New pictures! They are now 7 weeks old!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The females are starting to quack, so I'm pretty sure the following pictures are correct.
> 
> Silver male
> 
> 
> Silver female
> 
> 
> Gold male
> 
> 
> Gold female
> 
> 
> I prefer the gold.


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## Kelly Thompson

I am feeding a lonely duck in a very nasty and unsafe pond behind my house. It come when I call and is eating duck food. Very sweet but not yet close enough I can ever pet it. I’d like to relocate it to a safer pond with other ducks. But I am not sure how to do so. Can anyone help?


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