Welsh Harlequin duck farming is a pretty popular business for meat production purpose. These ducks are of light weight and they are best suited for eggs production purpose. And they are the perfect breed for commercial duck farming business for eggs production.
The Welsh Harlequin duck is a fairly new breed of domestic duck which was developed in Wales in the year of 1949 by Leslie Bonnet. He discovered a color mutation among his flock of Khaki Campbell ducks and started selectively breeding for the trait.
The Welsh Harlequin ducks are actually known for their high eggs production capability, and they are also noted for being calmer birds than the Khaki Campbell ducks. And they were a very popular utility breed after their development.
Today, the Welsh Harlequin ducks are available in many countries around the world. And they are getting popularity among the commercial duck farmers mainly for their high eggs production capabilities.
How to Start Welsh Harlequin Duck Farming
The Welsh Harlequin ducks are smaller sized birds, and they are very strong and hardy birds. And starting a commercial Welsh Harlequin duck farming business is as easy as starting a duck farming business with any other domestic duck breeds.
Here we are trying to describe everything about starting and operating a successful Welsh Harlequin duck farming business from purchasing birds to caring and marketing.
Purchase Ducks
First of all, you have to purchase very good quality, healthy and disease free birds for starting Welsh Harlequin duck farming business commercially. You can either purchase ducklings or mature ducks depending on the availability in your area.
You will need to take extra care of the ducklings if you want to start your business with ducklings. You can purchase the birds from any of your nearest duck breeding centers or existing farms.
Ask for help from an expert while selecting and purchasing ducks. You can also consider searching your local online classified websites for searching Welsh Harlequin ducks.
Housing
A good and comfortable housing system is important for Welsh Harlequin duck farming business. Although like many other domestic duck breeds, the Welsh Harlequin ducks also don’t require elaborate housing system. And they will be just fine if you can arrange basic facilities for them.
A good house not only helps the birds to stay healthy, but also helps them to stay safe from predators and all types of adverse weather conditions. So, try to make the house as safe as possible for the ducks.
Install good ventilation system and ensure flow of enough clean and fresh air inside the house. And try to make the house in such a way so that you can easily clean the house.
The Welsh Harlequin ducks are classed as a light weight breed of domestic duck. So, a mature duck will generally require about 3-4 square feet of housing space.
Feeding
Feeding the ducks with very good quality and nutritious food is the most important part of Welsh Harlequin duck farming business. So always try to feed your ducks with enough good and nutritious food.
You can either feed your ducks with ready-made/commercial duck feed or poultry feeds which are available in the market. As a smaller sized breed, a mature Welsh Harlequin duck will generally require around 130 grams of food daily. And always provide them with enough clean and fresh water as per their demand.
Breeding
The Welsh Harlequin ducks are naturally very good breeders. So you don’t have to worry much about their breeding if you want to produce fertile eggs for hatching.
Just keeping good ratio of male and female ducks will be very good for successful breeding. Generally one mature male duck is enough for successfully breeding 8-10 female ducks.
Caring
The Welsh Harlequin ducks are noted for being calmer birds. They are friendly, docile and placid birds. They generally don’t fly and are very happy to stay in backyard or garden.
They are also very good foragers and usually forage enthusiastically in the backyard or garden for insects or other feeds.
They are also very strong and hardy birds. So they generally require less caring and other management than many other domestic duck breeds.
Although taking additional caring will ensure good growth and also good health of the birds.
So, try to take good care of your birds and try to keep them happy. Vaccinate them timely and always try to keep good contact with a vet in your area.
Marketing
Duck’s products (both meat and eggs) have very good demand and value in the market. So, you don’t have to think much about marketing.
You will probably be able to easily sell the products in your local market. Although setting a good and proper marketing strategy is always good.
These are the common steps and ways for starting and operating a successful Welsh Harlequin duck farming business. Hope this guide has helped you! Good luck & may God bless you!
