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| Which are drakes, and which are ducks? Which are Golden? |
I’m placing bets that we have four females, with one other still undetermined. Four of the Welsh Harlequins have begun to quack, the feathers on their wings and sides are all a little lighter than the others, and their bills are a bit darker. We’ll have a better idea as time goes on, but that’s my best guess right now. Four layers will be good–we wanted at least three. Of the two Goldens, I think one is a drake, the other a duck.
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| Whitey, the White Appleyard |
The mystery is our White Appleyard, Whitey, who is clearly different than the others, not only in appearance, but in behavior as well. Whitey sits down a lot–while he’s eating, drinking, or just while all the others are walking about. Often during eating time, he eats a little then goes off to the side and sits. For as big as he is, much larger than all the others, it’s surprising that he doesn’t seem to eat as much. He doesn’t participate in all the same activities as the others, and often stays off to the side or is slower to join in. He gets stepped on an awful lot by the others–they just step right over him while he sits. He’s still peeping, which could mean he’s a drake, or could be that this breed is slower in developing the quack of a duck.