What does a Standard of perfection Welsh Harlequin drake look like?

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With some of the birds I've seen on here, and after breeding them for almost 10 years now, I can tell you they are highly variable. You must learn the Standard for them inside and out and then apply that to your birds. You can have three birds that are good, but that only means you need to be specific on other aspects of the Standard. Size, weight and faults like bill color or feathers on the shanks are often overlooked, but are large parts of what makes this breed. We recently culled our number 1 breeder drake because he was overly large in our opinion in favor of a smaller drake that we feel better meets the standard. Although before the other drake came, #1 was our ideal. Here is a picture of the drake that was reserve light duck at the Crossroads National in '06

welsh.jpg


And here is an entire flock picture which shows variation in the drakes.

WH2-2006.jpg


And yet another drake from our flock...this one is directly from Holderread breeding pens.

wholddrake.jpg


Here is what I think is the "standard picture" for the breed.

ducks_silver_welsh_harlequin_invitation-p1611831791101591522diuo_400.jpg
 
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Thank you- I have 4 drakes that I am looking at and they are all colored differently and in that mix I have one that is heavier than the others. They are pretty young but I think that I need to start culling drakes soon as if I have heard correctly I will soon have problems on my hands with so many drakes. (5 drakes in the WH, 8 mallards and 4 jumbo pekins) So I am now looking really hard at their coloring/personality and I have found too many differing opinions on the standard which is confusing me.

Thanks for giving me the pictures as they are helping a bunch.
 
if you post pictures I will give you my honest opinion of them as I compare them to what I think is ideal to the standard. I also think the drawing of the drake, the neckring is askew as I think they should be more of a slant rather than straight like they have it pictured. I also think the thickness various at different points around the neck.
K&S
 
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I too have been trying to pick the best of my 5 WH drakes to keep. One was easy to cull as his beak is the wrong color and his neck ring is too big. The other 4 look almost alike to me. That are all Holderread stock from this year. I hope I can decide before spring.
 
The drake above has a major fault, sorry. The chestnut brown should go right over his leg. It is a fault that breeds through unfortunately.
 
Hello, these are my 2 Welsh harlequin drakes. They will be 16 weeks old this coming Friday November 20th. At what age do drakes get judged on "standard "?

Thank you.
 

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