overberg ducks

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
http://www.waterfowlworld.co.uk/  or grahamhickss@hotmail.co.uk


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