General characteristics:
male and female
Carriage: Alert and slightly upright, the head carried high with
shoulders higher than the saddle; the back showing a gentle slant and
the line of the back and the belly running almost parallel. The whole
carriage not too erect but not so low as to cause waddling.
Head: Well-rounded and refined in jaw and skull and may not show
pronounced cheeks. Bill of medium length and width and almost straight;
rising almost hollow towards the head. Eyes alert and bright, placed
fairly high in skull.
Neck: Of medium length and width, tapering towards the head, carried
almost vertically.
Body: Of medium length, well rounded and slightly upright.Tail
well-spread, extending fror,.the back.
Breast: Carried fairly high, not too full, but well-rounded.
Wings: Of medium length, carried tightly and closely to the body
Legs and Feet: Of medium length, firm and placed well underneath the
body.
Plumage: Tight and silky, giving a sleek appearance.
Possible differences between drake and duck: The drake has
well-developed sex curls and is a lime more upright in carriage than
the duck. The speculae of the drake are more blue and do not show the
strong yellow-brown overlay seen in the duck.
Colour and Markings1.Drake's Plumage:
Head and Neck: Pale lilac-blue with a slight brown overlay on the back
of the head and neck down to the wide, white neck-ring which is sharply
bronze defined and completely encircles he neck..Bill: Olive green
without any trace of blue, dark horn-coloured bean at the tip..Eyes:
Dark brown.Back: Pale lilac-blue peppered with some white lacing,
getting paler towards the tail. Breast and Flanks: Rich mahogany-brown
with creamy-white lacing. Rump and tail: Lilac-blue bordered with
cream, undertail cushion lilac-blue.Belly: Creamy-white..Wings:
Scapulars a rich brown heavily laced with creamy-white. Wing bars and
wing bowswhite; some pale lilac-blue peppering allowed. Speculum pale
lilac-blue with a browny-yellowoverlay and bordered by distinct
speculum lacing. Primaries are white with pale lilac-bluepeppering..
Legs and Webs: Bright orange.
2.Duck's plumage:
Head and Neck: Yellowy-brown head with bluey-brown "raining on the
crown. Neck yellowy-brown with pale brown "raining, shading off into
pale yellow to cream on the dividing line with the breast, giving a
distinct transition between the neck- and breast colour Bill:
Slate-grey at the base, changing gradually into dark-green towards the
tip with a black bean. Eyes: Dark brown. Back: Pale yellowy-brown with
bluey-brown "raining; pale creamy lacing is allowed.Breast and Flanks:
Upper side of the breast, including the upper side of the flanks is
similar o the upper side of the back. The markings of the flanks are
slightly broader, changing into a pale yellow to cream towards the
belly. Rump and tail: Yellowy-cream bordered with cream-white;
undertail cushion pale yellow tocream.Belly: Pale yellow to
creamy-white.Wings: Scapulars yellowy-brown alternating with pale
lilac-blue with yellowy-brown to cream lacing, giving a distinct
"rained impression. Speculum pale lilac-blue with a
distinctyellowy-brown overlay and bordered by distinct speculum lacing.
Primaries are cream with apale brown overlay. Legs and Webs: Dark dun.
Weights
Adult drake 2.25 - 2.50 kg. (5 - 5.51b)
Adult duck 2.00 - 2.25 kg. (4.5 - 51b)
Scale of Points
Carriage I 0
Head, Bill and Neck 15
Body and Tail 15
Legs and Feet 5
Condition I 0
Colour 35
Size 10
Total I 00
Defects; In the drake: broken or absent neck ring, bill other than
olive-green, absence of markings on back and breast, legs and webs
other than bright orange. In the duck: bill other than slate-grey,
washed out colouring of head, neck and body, speculum dark bluey-grey,
legs and webs orange. In either sex: Upright carriage, too short or
cobby in body type, keel.
Names Overberg
Country Of
Origin;. ........ The Netherlands through selective breeding
from North-Holland Hook Bills, Abacot Rangers and Welsh Harlequins.
Carriage;
Similar to the Campbell ducks but a substantailly more well built duck
ie useful for the table if needed
Purpose;... .......Eggs..Meat...Broody...a good utility duck
Egg Colour .....................The eggs weigh 65 g and are
white
Egg Numbers
.............180 /200
Breed Hints.... Kept as trio or pair .. will go broody and
hatch
Weights; 4 to 5.5 pounds
Breed Tip .This
breed is basically a blue dilution of the Welsh Harlequin
Flying . rarely flies a good
back garden all rounder;
.........Breeders
HICKS WATERFOWL WORLD / OSWESTRY / Tel 01691 655 635 weekends
Tel 07818 036 118 weekdays or grahamhickss@hotmail.co.uk
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